A Tupper Lake man has admitted killing a black bear while camping at Horseshoe Lake in the town of Piercefield.
Benny A. Haywood, 29, pleaded guilty last week in town court to taking a bear during the closed season, a misdemeanor, according to the Watertown Daily Times. He was sentenced to time served.
Haywood was arrested May 26 for shooting and killing a bear that entered his campsite with one shot from a shotgun.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation said the bear was later found to have been skinned and butchered, and the carcass dumped at another location.
Haywood was on parole for a felony driving-while-intoxicated conviction at the time and wasn't allowed to possess a gun, DEC said.
In addition to taking a bear during the closed season, Haywood had also been charged with taking a bear with the aid of an artificial light and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all misdemeanors, as well as hunting without a license, a violation.
At the time of his arrest, Haywood's mother told WNBZ radio that her son shot the bear because it had approached a group of children at the campsite.
DEC spokesman Stephen Litwhiler wouldn't immediately comment on Haywood's guilty plea.
Messages left with the assistant district attorney and public defender who handled Haywood's case weren't returned Wednesday.
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Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.