California Man Fined $10,000 For Illegal Bear Killings

A California man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Petersburg district court to killing two bears on Admiralty Island while hunting was closed, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Griffen Fales, 20, entered the plea on multiple wildlife misdemeanors, troopers said in an online dispatch.

Back in 2015, wildlife troopers based in Petersburg received a report of an unsalvaged brown bear on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska.

“(An) investigation found that Fales had shot this bear, along with one other bear, on Admiralty Island during a closed season, than failed to salvage either of the bears,” troopers said.

Fales was also found to have taken a deer without the proper license or a nonresident locking tag, troopers said.

This is the complete Alaska State Troopers dispatch:

On 9-19-17 Griffen Fales, age 20 of California, appeared in the District Court at Petersburg and pled guilty to multiple wildlife misdemeanors.  During 2015 the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Petersburg Post, received a report of a brown bear located on Admiralty Island that failed to have been salvaged.  Investigation found that Fales had shot this bear, along with one other bear, on Admiralty Island during a closed season, than failed to salvage either of the bears.  Additionally it was found that Fales had taken a deer without a hunting license and non-resident locking tag as required.  The guilty plea was coordinated through the Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions and Fales was convicted on two counts of take brown bear closed season, two counts of fail to salvage and one count of fail to possess a non-resident locking tag.  He was sentenced to pay fines totaling $30,000 with $20,000 suspended and restitution to the State of Alaska totaling $3,000 for the three animals taken.  Fales was additionally sentenced to 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, loss of hunting privileges for 5 years and placed on probation for one year.