Federal prosecutors: Charlo man admits to illegally killing grizzly

A Charlo man admitted in federal court Dec. 9 to illegally killing a grizzly bear in 2018.

Kevin Moll, 31, pleaded guilty in Missoula to information charging him with unlawful taking of a threatened species. He was subsequently sentenced to two years of federal probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced Friday.

Authorities launched an investigation after a sow grizzly bear’s collar fell to “zero” in mid-September 2018, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. That meant the bear likely had died.

Law enforcement later found the grizzly, with its collar and ear tag removed, at the Perry Dairy near Charlo, officials said.

Moll later admitted to shooting the animal twice, and knowing that it was a grizzly before taking the first shot, officials said. Upon inspecting the animal, he discovered it wore a collar and allegedly used a front-end loader to move the carcass to a bone pile.

When he noticed biologists searching for the grizzly with a helicopter several days later, Moll allegedly returned to the carcass, cut off the collar and removed the ear tag before throwing the items into Crow Creek.

Moll acknowledged in court that he did not have a permit to kill a grizzly bear and that he knew grizzlies were federally protected before firing on the animal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the case.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com.