A judge sentenced a Robbinsville man to five months in prison for violating federal wildlife laws by killing a black bear cub. Tyler Micaiah Colvin, 20, shot and skinned the cub in the Wayah Bear Sanctuary in the Nantahala National Forest in October 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. “Colvin’s conduct was outrageous, inhumane and illegal, and anyone involved in the illegal killing of black bears will be vigorously prosecuted by this office,” Anne Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a statement Thursday.
Colvin pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Asheville in December to one count of transporting wildlife that had been taken in violation of the Lacey Act, which Tompkins called “an important arsenal in our fight against those who illegally kill endangered and threatened species.” Read more….