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A Virginia man pleaded guilty to killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles, and hawks in an effort to protect the waterfowl on his property so he could hunt them.
The defendant was found in possession of a pole trap he used to attract the birds of prey to land and then he snared them, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The man, who built a small waterfowl impoundment on his property, also used a banned pesticide, carbofuran, to poison the eagles and hawks.
The defendant was sentenced to one day in jail, two years probation, and nearly $10,000 in fines.
“We’re fairly familiar with the guy. We’d dealt with him before on some waterfowl violations,” Virginia Conservation Police Master Officer Brian Bratton said. “He showed us what was going on and told us what he was doing and why he was doing it. He was killing the hawks and eagles because they were killing all the ducks he was attracting to his impoundment.
“It was the time of year when hawks are migrating through. And in very late winter, the food supply really gets short, so these birds are looking for prey. He was very aware it was illegal, but in his mind, the ends justified the means, because he’s getting rid of the predatory birds to protect the ducks. That many hawks and eagles is pretty significant, so I feel like it’s a win for protecting the resource from further loss.”
Commenters on the VDWR Facebook page vehemently disagreed about it being a win. Many were livid over the man’s punishment, and were angry that the VDWR withheld his identity; he was identified as William Custis Smith by court records, according to The Charlotte Observer. Among the comments:
“He got ONE DAY IN JAIL?!!!! One day?!!! One Day?!!!! So it’s open season on bald eagles in Virginia now apparently.”
“The sentence should have been much longer, and the fines should have been much higher.”
“Someone certainly dropped the ball here, either the U.S. Attorney, or the judge.”
“Where’s the justice for those birds?”
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“This truly is a travesty.”
“They probably spent more than $10k in labor in the investigation.”
“Something seems fishy here. No named defendants, a `well known’ hunter with numerous violations and only one day with some fines.”
The U.S. Attorney prosecuted the case, and the suspect pleaded guilty to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act can result in a fine of $100,000, imprisonment for one year, or both, for a first offense. Penalties increase substantially for additional offenses, and a second violation of this Act is a felony.
The criminal penalties are for persons who “take, possess, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle…[or golden eagle] alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest or egg thereof.” Take is defined as “pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, molest or disturb.”
The investigation, which included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, began during the 2023-24 waterfowl season when a tip was received about an individual trapping and poisoning hawks and eagles on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
While talking with Bratton, Smith admitted to killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles, and hawks, primarily red-shouldered and red-tailed. He also surrendered a can of carbofuran, the pesticide he used to commit some of the crimes, using it in a pile of fish heads. Bratton located traps and multiple eagle and hawk carcasses to confirm the original information.
The investigation concluded on March 31, and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources announced the results last week.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Man kills 20-plus bald eagles, hawks; public is livid over penalty
Reporting by David Strege, For The Win / For The Win
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