A judge in Montana has ordered the arrest of a man who did not attend his first court hearing for allegedly causing the deaths of numerous birds, including bald and golden eagles. Another defendant entered a plea of not guilty.

Two individuals, in collaboration with others, were responsible for the deaths of approximately 3,600 birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and other locations over a span of six years starting in 2015. This information was revealed in a grand jury indictment that was made public last month. The accused were also charged with illegally selling eagle parts on a well-known underground market, which has posed ongoing challenges for American wildlife authorities.

Judge DeSoto of U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana, issued an arrest warrant for 42-year-old Simon Paul from St. Ignatius. This was due to his absence at the scheduled arraignment on Monday.

Travis John Branson, a 48-year-old resident of Cusick, Washington, entered a plea of not guilty and was released until further developments in the case.

The two accused individuals face a total of 13 charges for illegally trafficking bald and golden eagles, as well as one charge each for conspiring and violating laws related to trafficking wildlife.

Paul and Branson collaborated with unnamed individuals to pursue and eliminate birds. On one occasion, they used a deceased deer to entice and shoot an eagle, as stated by the prosecution. The men then conspired to trade eagle feathers, tails, wings, and other body parts for large amounts of money, according to the indictment.

They could potentially receive a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each charge of conspiracy and wildlife trafficking. The act of trafficking eagles is punishable by a one-year prison term for a first offense and a two-year prison term for any subsequent offenses.

Attempts to contact Branson for a statement were unsuccessful. His court-appointed lawyer, Michael Donahoe, did not respond to a message left at his office. Paul was also unavailable for comment.

The bald eagle is the emblem of the United States, and Native Americans hold both bald and golden eagles in high regard. It is against the law in the U.S. for anyone to harm or interfere with eagles, or to take their nests or eggs without a permit.

During the past century, bald eagles were eliminated from most areas in the United States due to the use of DDT, a pesticide. However, with the implementation of federal protections, their population rebounded and they were removed from the endangered species list in 2007.

The golden eagle population is facing greater instability, with experts attributing the decline to illegal shootings, energy development, lead poisoning, and other issues.

Source: wral.com