Man Accused Of Shooting, Killing Bear Cubs Faces Serious Charges
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4) - An Evergreen man accused of shooting and killing two bear cubs early Tuesday morning has been charged with two felonies.
According to Pam Russell with the district attorney's office, Daniel Clay Williams, 50, has been charged with illegal discharge of a firearm and aggravated cruelty to animal, both felonies.
Deputies responded to a report of shots fired just after 5 a.m. in the 27000 block of Lupine Drive. When they arrived they found two seriously injured bear cubs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were called and the cubs had to be euthanized.
Williams told deputies he had shot rubber bullets at the bears to scare them away from his trash. But then his dog got loose and started fighting with the mother bear and he shot a live bullet and hit both of the cubs.
"The one lethal shot traveled across the street hitting, and breaking, a window of an occupied house," Russell said in a statement.
The mother bear ran across the street and into a tree and remained there all day until just before 8:30 p.m. when it left on its own.
Williams also faces the following misdemeanor charges:
• 3 counts of Black Bear Hunting Out of Season (M1)
• 2 counts of Illegal Possession of Wildlife (M)
• Shooting from a Public Road (M)
Williams faces more than four years in prison for the felony counts and each misdemeanor count could lead to time in county jail and large fines.
