TL man admits killing black bear
By CHRIS KNIGHT, Enterprise Senior Staff WriterA 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.
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shipsaint
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07-31-09 5:39 PM
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when your drinking beer with a rifle at camp when your on probation for alcohol related issues,nothing good can result from it
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BlackIce
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07-31-09 12:51 PM
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Ya know when bears go after hikers backpacks in the High Peaks and elsewhere the DEC kill's those bears. Over the years they have shot many, many bears. And they do it over a bait pile and at night, and out of season. So, I really don't see the big deal.
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IMatter2
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07-31-09 10:39 AM
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The terms may be different, had he shot the bear then notified DEC, before skinning it, trying to hide it, etc. So, what do the rest of the campers there say ?
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Afinehowdoyoudo
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07-30-09 10:11 PM
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and i repeat- what is the sentencing guidelines for this conviction? how much time had the criminal served? who was the judge? why isn't this part of the story? lazy reporting? jumping the gun on a story without all the facts? poor journalism.
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Afinehowdoyoudo
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07-30-09 10:07 PM
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pCrowley- a vulgar word? half-assed? that is vulgar?
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shipsaint
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07-30-09 9:40 PM
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it wasnt a threat,he used a light to locat the bear and shot it,and the mother lied
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paul12946
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07-30-09 9:35 PM
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If the bear was a threat too him or others he had every right too kill it, it doesn`t matter what the season is ,if there was no other choices. bears are getting used too people and have little fear if there smell food. at campsites where they are used to finding food. his only mistake was not leaving were it fell and walking away after shooting it. his legal problems would have kept him from reporting it. i do wonder why he had a gun with him ,i would like too know more of the facts around that. killing a bear or any other threat in self-defense is no big deal as far as i am concerned. if attempts too scare it off failed.
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silenceisgolden
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07-30-09 9:11 PM
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It's not about what he shot or why, it's that he was prohibited from having a firearm, but had one anyway. And used it. Anyone else, make your case for man vs. bear. This man is a convicted menace to society. More so than any bear.
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YouKnowImRight
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07-30-09 7:17 PM
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Hey- if you're camping, and you have kids around, and a bear walks up, and you have a gun-what would you do- I'd have done the same thing. Bears are a dime a dozen up here and can't tell a kid from a bag of garbage. I would have shot it too. If it was during hunting season, it was legal. The DEC overreacted.
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Breault
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07-30-09 6:48 PM
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can I change my user name?
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uknowuluvme
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07-30-09 6:04 PM
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its because in this area its not what you do ..its who you do..meaning someone in his family is either a policeman or having relations with one..and his mother still trying to lie for him is one of his biggest handicaps in life..poor fool
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silenceisgolden
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07-30-09 5:29 PM
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Someone on parole (not probation-- parole, meaning he was released from incarceration) for DWI who is not to be in possession of a gun as a term of his parole, who is not only caught with a gun but discharged that gun should be remanded to prison to serve out his term. End of story. A car with a drunk at the wheel is a loaded weapon. He then had and used a loaded weapon in a campground. What am I missing here?
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Breault
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07-30-09 4:22 PM
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I would love to know the REAL story as I find it extremely hard to believe the bear was a threat.Usually they avoid us like the plague up there.I have never had a problem and have camped there for years. Anyone who is familiar with this person knows he is a drug dealing ,drunken,liar who should be sent back to jail for violating probation. Prison would be more suitable for him.Some people try to straighten out but he is not one of them.Read the archives or look up his record this is truth not gossip.
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pcrowley
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07-30-09 4:12 PM
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To Afinehowdoyoudo: We deleted your prior comment because you used a vulgar word, not because you criticized our reporting. — Peter Crowley, managing editor
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Marcy1999
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07-30-09 3:58 PM
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To bad the penalty for Haywood, won't be the same as "the bear, who was later found to have been skinned and butchered, and the carcass dumped at another location." Now that would be justice.
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shipsaint
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07-30-09 3:42 PM
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why is that bad fish
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FishCric
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07-30-09 2:55 PM
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the mother should be charged as well That's bad
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Afinehowdoyoudo
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07-30-09 2:23 PM
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funny how i make a comment on the lack of detail and poor reporting and i get myself booted. ADE- cant take criticism?
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shipsaint
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07-30-09 12:21 PM
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the mother should be charged aswell
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