A 66-year-old resident of Brush Prairie was charged by criminal information with violating federal law by killing a bald eagle, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced in a news release Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Benjamin G. Allen is accused of shooting and killing the bird with a shotgun on Feb. 5. Allen is being summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Sept. 8.
According to records in the case, officers from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife were called to a property in Brush Prairie regarding a dead eagle with blood around its head.
A witness heard a gunshot earlier in the day. Allen kept chickens not far from where the dead eagle was discovered.
Special agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service interviewed Allen about the deceased eagle and his actions that day. An exam by a veterinarian revealed the eagle had two shotgun pellets in its brain, causing the death.
Allen is charged with a class A misdemeanor for violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. He is also charged with a class B misdemeanor for unlawfully killing a migratory bird. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. A class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The charges contained in the information are only allegations. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean H. Waite.
This report was first published by The Reflector Newspaper.
