Ohio man pleads guilty to killing bald eagle, will pay $20K fine

An Ohio man pleaded guilty Tuesday to shooting and killing a bald eagle last October.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, 79-year-old David B. Huff, of Dover, shot and killed a bald eagle with a rifle on Oct. 7, 2021.

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Court documents state that Huff owns farmland and several fields in Tuscarawas County and routinely conducts inspections of the land for the presence of pests and rodents. During one of these inspections, Huff shot and killed the bald eagle.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 prohibits anyone, without a permit, from, among other actions, shooting bald or golden eagles.

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After shooting the eagle, Huff picked up the animal and discarded it in the tree line of a bordering field, according to the release.

As part of the terms of the plea, Huff agreed to make restitution to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in care of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $10,000 and pay an additional fine of $10,000.

He also agreed to a five-year prohibition from hunting and the destruction of the rifle and ammunition seized during the investigation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Huff is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11, 2022.

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