Pocono News Section

Central PA Farmer Cleared in Bear Killing

Central PA Farmer Cleared in Bear Killing - Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:05PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2010 @ 06:05pm EST
Middleburg, Union County-

Charges have been dropped against a Union County farmer who shot a bear on his property. Neighbors say the bear was a danger, killing livestock on several properties.

Farmer John Nolt managed to crack a slight smile after the judge dismissed a wildlife killing charge filed against him.

Defense Attorney Kendra Mohr said, "This is someone who did a service to the community. I mean these people were afraid for not only their livestock, but for their children, their grandchildren."

Game Commission officials say, back in October, John Nolt and neighbor Roger Rishel shot the bear on Nolt's property a few hours after the bear killed a goat in a pen near Rishel's house.

Other neighbors report similar livestock killings during that time.

But officials argue that another bear could have been the culprit, and that Nolt didn't give them adequate time to trap and remove the bear.

Mohr countered, "The Game Commission had more than six months to trap the animal and actually did trap it once and let it go again."

Nolt received a $168 citation from the Game Commission for killing the bear. He has refused to plead guilty because he doesn't feel he did anything wrong.

On Tuesday, the judge ruled that the Game Commission couldn't prove that Nolt's shot killed the bear, so he dropped the charges.

Mohr added, "He’s really done a community service here and the Game Commission should be thanking him for what he did, and not punishing him."

No word yet whether the Game Commission will try to file similar charges against Roger Rishel, the other neighbor who shot at the bear.

Neighbors who showed up to testify say they're glad the bear that terrorized their animals has been killed. They add that they'll show the same support for Rishel if charges are filed against him.