Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents arrested a Lettsworth man on Jan. 8 for allegedly killing a Louisiana Black Bear.
Agents arrested Ronald J. Kimble, 28, for taking a Louisiana Black Bear during a closed season and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On Nov. 29, 2017, Agents began investigating a dead black bear that was found shot to death on the Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Concordia Parish. The necropsy revealed that the four and a half year-old female bear was shot twice with a rifle within a few days of being found.
Agents began patrolling the area the bear was found more frequently and found Kimble hunting in the area on Dec. 29 and again on Jan. 4. Agents approached Kimble and during questioning he admitted to killing the bear with a .270 rifle on Nov. 26, 2017.
Agents also found that Kimble was a convicted felon and not allowed to possess a firearm.
Agents seized the .270 rifle and booked Kimble into the Concordia Parish Jail.
The state charge for illegally killing a Louisiana Black Bear brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Possessing a firearm by a convicted felon brings a $1,000 to $5,000 fine and 10 to 20 years in jail.
Kimble may also face up to $10,000 in civil restitution for the replacement value of the illegally taken black bear.