The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday it is investigating the case of two illegal migrants from Honduras who have been accused of killing a bald eagle in Nebraska with the intention of eating it.
Joe Szuszwalak, a spokesman for the Service, said its Office of Law Enforcement “has been working actively with the Stanton County [Nebraska] Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission since the day it occurred.”
He also said the office “is currently in possession of the air rifle and the eagle.”
Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger has complained in the media that he has been unable to get federal authorities to return his messages since the incident in late February.
Deputies in Nebraska responded Feb. 28 to a report of a vehicle in a field northwest of the Wood Duck Recreation Area. They found the two men, both 20, and discovered they had shot and killed the bird.
The men told deputies that they intended to take the bird home and cook it for eating, according to authorities.
The men were cited for misdemeanor unlawful possession of the eagle, and face a court date in April.
But federal charges carry stiffer penalties. Under the Eagle Protection Act, wounding or killing an eagle can bring a fine of up to $100,000 and one year in prison for a first offense.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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