Press Release

Four Men Arrested for Killing a Black Bear

February 14, 2003

Conservation Enforcement Officers of the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, assisted by Federal wildlife agents, served arrest warrants on February 12 in Calhoun and Cleburne Counties for the illegal killing and possession of a black bear. The bear was killed in the Talladega National Forest in Cleburne County near Piedmont in October 2002.

Grant Chandler, 21, of Piedmont is charged with killing a black bear and possession of a protected game animal in closed season. Also arrested in connection with this case were Piedmont residents, Bobby Steed, 49, Glenn Buttrum, 32, and Jason Freeman, 21, on charges of possession of a protected game animal in closed season.

The black bear is an Alabama native species but it is a rare animal and is protected with no open hunting season. In 2001, the Alabama Legislature found that the black bear was a unique mammal in the state that required special protection, and passed a law protecting the bear. Violation of this law is a Class A misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $5,000 and one year imprisonment. This is the first case brought under this new law.

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