A 66-year-old Roxbury man was recently arrested on bear poaching charges, after allegedly shooting and killing a bear across the street from his house.
On May 26, according to a statement from the New York State Department of Conservation (DEC), Roxbury resident George W. Wyble fired his rifle at an 85-pound black bear that he saw walking across the street from his house.
Investigating the incident, DEC officers and the Roxbury town constable found that the Roxbury highway department had found a dead bear near Wyble's house. A necropsy by the DEC's wildlife pathology lab found that the bear had been killed by a single gunshot wound. Wyble admitted firing on the bear.
Wyble was arrested on June 6, and charged with shooting across a public highway and killing a bear out of season. If convicted, Wyble could face up to a $2,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail for each offense.
