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Posted on 01/01/2026 4:15:55 PM PST by nickcarraway
A homeowner says living with a bear under his house has pushed him to his breaking point. In an exclusive interview with KTLA’s Jillian Smukler, he revealed plans to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after being told the state will no longer help.
Ken Johnson says the bear moved under his Altadena home just before Thanksgiving — and never left.
“If I kept track of everything I tried, it would be Bear 14, Homeowner 0,” said Johnson, using a sports analogy.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife initially stepped in, setting a trap near the crawl space. But instead of catching the large bear under Johnson’s home, the trap caught a smaller bear — the wrong one.
That bear was hauled away, and the bigger bear stayed put. Biologists later tried again, using air horns to flush the bear out.
Johnson says it looked like it was finally working — until he says they suddenly got a call ordering them to stand down.
“I felt very defeated. I just dropped. Now what? It’s all up to me, and I’m supposed to watch my phone when he comes out in the middle of the night? Or sleep in the kitchen and listen for him every night?” Johnson told KTLA.
He even asked if he could still use bait to lure the bear out. “No, can’t do that,” he said he was told.
Since then, Johnson says he can hear the bear moving around, presumably causing damage.
“I can hear the plastic being shredded underneath, and one of the cameras picked it up just bulldozing through it. It’s a mess under there,” Johnson said.
A video of a broken pipe prompted him to shut off his gas on Christmas Eve, and he hasn’t had any hot water since.
“I’m just exhausted from the whole thing,” he said. “I get my mind off it for a little bit, and then suddenly I get flooded back with, oh that’s right, I can’t take a hot shower. I’ve got to monitor the situation all the time,” Johnson said.
Now, Johnson says he plans to sue, accusing the department of negligence and emotional distress.
“This has gone on long enough, and it’s something that they should deal with. It’s a tagged bear. They’ve dealt with it before. They chose not to euthanize it, and now it’s back and it’s just going to keep on doing this,” Johnson said.
KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl says the department has a duty to protect homeowners when there’s a public safety threat, and Johnson may have grounds to take this to court.
“This homeowner certainly can prove that this bear is causing damage and is a threat to his safety,” Triessl said.
While she doesn’t know if or how much money Johnson would get from the lawsuit, she believes if he wins, a court order to remove the bear is likely.
“The Department of Fish and Wildlife actually has a 19-page policy when it comes to situations just like this, and over and over it says do all that you can to remedy the situation. But nowhere does it say that they should simply give up and have the homeowner deal with it on their own and wait it out,” Triessl said.
KTLA reached out to the department multiple times regarding Johnson’s claims, but the agency had not responded as of Sunday evening.
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The home owner has no brains.
shoot, shovel, shut up...
slowly move the tag to a lake and toss it in.
Who, exactly, is he going to sue???
He missed his chance. A suppressed rifle on New Year’s Eve would not have drawn any attention.
In lieu of cash can it be paid off in bear claws?
Maybe with double almond filling?
A .30-30 Winchester or a .30-06 Springfield would do the job. Just remember to shovel and shut up afterwards.
A lawsuit. Don't leave home without it.
Block the entrance while the bear is not there?
You are right, bears have good lawyer's and few assets worth taking.
He's going to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildife. Good luck.
The government already knows, so he would have been busted. After the Dept. was notified, he has to be careful.
NewScum is of no use?
Who’da THUNK IT?
If photo is true - that bear has an ear tag
Yes, he mentions the bear is tagged.
For small arms the best weapon to use against a bear is a Glock 20. If you’re used to toting around a 9mm Glock 19, you might be more comfortable with that. However, an upgrade to a Glock 20 chambered in 10mm and loaded with hard-cast FNs will provide far more stopping power than the relatively paltry 9mm. Carried that in Alaska in lieu of a 44. The locals in central Alaska use them also when they don’t have a 12 gauge set up for slugs. Use all 15 if needed. Probably won’t have to.
Do not go under the house after it. Close space is in the favor of the bear.
wy69
IMO, he has standing. The bear belongs to the “state,” from a legal standpoint. Kill a bear and watch how fast the “state” comes after you to protect their property rights.
The issue is how to get a dead 500lb bear out from under the house.
Or sleep in the kitchen and listen for him every night?” Johnson told KTLA.]]
Yeah not a good idea to sleep where the food is
“A .30-30 Winchester or a .30-06 Springfield would do the job. Just remember to shovel and shut up afterwards”
Not now, this was a big story in local L.A. TV a few weeks back. He is stuck until Yogi wakes up from his stupor and heads out on his own. Then do a proper job of sealing off that raised foundation home.
First, get a chainsaw
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