Posted on 03/16/2015 2:45:41 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
COEUR d'ALENE, IDAHO - A Hauser woman accused of attacking a hunter's falcon could face jail time.
Patti MacDonald, 60, is facing one misdemeanor count of beating or harassing an animal. MacDonald is scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing March 24 in Kootenai County District Court.
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to a maximum of six months in jail and $5,000 in fines.
The incident occurred on Jan. 7 when MacDonald allegedly parked her red Jeep Wrangler near the spot where Scott Dinger's falcon, Hornet, was in the process of killing a duck the duo had successfully hunted. As Dinger, 50, approached the scene, he saw his falcon, clearly injured, flying away.
Dinger found Hornet dead about an hour later and said the bird had suffered a fractured skull and broken leg.
Craig Walker, an Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional conservation officer, became aware of the incident the night it occurred and began an investigation. In his report, Walker wrote that his office received a phone call from an unidentified woman who said she saw a falcon take a duck from the air and then went to the aid of the duck and tried to scare away the falcon.
When the falcon remained in place holding the duck, the woman said she removed a scarf that had beads on it and beat the bird.
"The woman later stated that she had been very upset about the duck being injured, but felt bad about injuring someone's pet, because she 'beat the crap out of it really hard,'" the report states.
The report adds that another investigator was able to use the office's caller identification system to identify the anonymous caller as MacDonald.
Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh told The Press that after reviewing Walker's investigative materials, his office determined to pursue the misdemeanor charge.
"The same penalties apply as with an animal cruelty charge," McHugh said. "This statute is more specific and appropriate for the alleged conduct."
Dinger told The Press that the charge was "unacceptable" and added that he wants the prosecutor's office to pursue a federal charge for "the unlawful take of a protected species."
McHugh said pursuing federal charges is beyond his office's jurisdiction.
"I certainly have no objection with Fish and Game pursuing that charge," he added.
The way those laws are written, everyone is a criminal
Duck good, falcon bad. What a retard.
Hey, maybe she’s just trying to do her part to get us back to the lion lying down with the lamb.
In her case it’s “OR ELSE!!!”...
All well and good until the lion starves to death.
Good work, lady. Way to not know that falcons hunt.
We have a Peregrine Falcon and a Cooper’s Hawk that regularly visit our property. They keep the pest birds and rats out. This stupid woman should go to jail, not be charged with a misdemeanor.
All raptors should be covered by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Is stupidity a felony or a misdemeanor?
Ping.
My neck of the woods. The wildlife people are full fledged power tripping gastapo wannabes. Once there was a bald eagle injured by an automobile found on the side of the road. It happens. The sheriff’s department and Fish an Wildlife, USFS, launched investigations, detectives were called in, and all to find who hurt the eagle so they could prosecute the person. The paper was filled with angry people calling for serious penalties for injuring the bird and calling for the person to turn themselves in. The local law enforcement even announced if the person turned themselves in they would not face felony charges.
Who the hell is going to report an injured bird when you’ll be thrown in jail. The 3 S principle is strictly adhered to. Shoot, Shovel, Shutup.
If all raptors were protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act killing them would be a felony. Too bad they aren’t.
Once convicted, he should sue her. Trained falcons are not cheap.
Not with New, Improved, protein rich Monsanto GMO grass!
They’re gonna have to make prisons a lot bigger to incarcerate the wind turbines.
Barry McHugh is an old friend and if he's taking on the case, I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. There's probably more to the story than we're hearing here.
“...tried to scare away the falcon.”
Obviously, the woman knows nothing about raptors. Even “domesticated” ones will never give up their kill, unless you bribe them with an easier meal.
A lot of that sounds like makework to justify a government bureaucracy...
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