Spokane man sentenced to prison for killing grizzly bear

POACHING – A Spokane-area man was sentenced to six months in prison for shooting a grizzly bear in northwestern Montana last year. The court ruled that he knowingly killed a threatened species in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Shalako Katzer, 26, of Mead, and federal prosecutors previously reached a deal that called for a sentence of a year of unsupervised probation in exchange for a guilty plea to unlawful taking of a threatened species.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch was not obligated to follow that recommendation, the AP reported. On Monday, he handed down the six-month prison sentence and ordered Katzer to pay $5,000 in restitution.

Prison sentences are rare in grizzly poaching cases even though the great bears are federally protected by Endangered Species listing.

Prosecutors say Katzer was camping with his brother in Lincoln County in May 2015, when they were warned that a grizzly was headed toward the campground. A few minutes later, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Duerk said, the men spotted a bear in the campground. Katzer’s brother fired a rifle and the bear retreated. The men followed it. Prosecutors say Katzer fired the fatal shot with a pistol.

“This sentence sends a message to would-be grizzly killers” said U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter.

“…Individuals who seek to harass and kill these protected animals, not out of self-defense, but apparently for sport, will pay the consequences.”

“Grizzly bears can obviously pose a safety risk to humans, but that risk can be diminished or eliminated through proper precautions and appropriate behavior,” said Steve Oberholtzer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent.