(NEXSTAR) – A Louisiana man faces thousands of dollars in fines and won't be allowed to hunt or fish for at least three years after he pleaded guilty last week, admitting to illegally shooting geese from a highway.
Trevor Istre, 22, of Jennings, will have to pay a $3,000 penalty and undergo five years of probation after pleading guilty Feb. 10 to three wildlife violations, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Louisiana.
On Feb. 16, 2021 – Mardi Gras day – an officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's K9 team allegedly found Istre among a group of people shooting geese from a state highway on private property.
The officer confronted the group, but they took off and managed to get away. Investigators collected shotgun casings and found one crippled goose that day. Authorities continued to investigate and caught up with Istre, along with three other suspects, who they say took 29 geese in total.
“Hunting violations are cases that our office takes very seriously,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “The hunting laws were created for the protection of our wildlife, and we will continue to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hold those who break those laws accountable for their actions.”
The other three people involved in the illegal hunt were previously fined $2,470.
Istre was charged with taking migratory birds with the aid of a motor vehicle, taking migratory birds during a closed season, and taking migratory birds in violation of state law.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Istre and three other violators were "repeat offenders with histories of wildlife violations in state and federal courts."
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