Black bear shot and dumped in river in LaGrange

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff

LAGRANGE – The illegal killing of a black bear in the Penobscot County town of LaGrange is under investigation by the Maine Warden Service.

The warden service late Monday received a complaint of a bear found in Dead Stream in LaGrange, according to Greg Sirpis, Chairman of Maine Operation Game Thief. Sirpis said Sgt. Joshua Beal, a Warden Service liaison to the organization, reached out for assistance.

The bear appeared to have been shot and thrown off a bridge into the river, where it was discovered dead.

“When you do that, and then leave it for dead, that’s one of Maine’s prized natural resources and it’s an absolute waste,” Sirpis said. “We have zero tolerance for poaching anyway, but this just really pisses me off.”

Sirpis said the bear, a male, had been shot two or three times.

“The thing didn’t get shot and then run into the river,” Sirpis said. “It went over the bridge and landed at the bottom. It’s just senseless.”

Maine Operation Game Thief is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for killing the bear. 

“Because of the viciousness of the incident, I wanted to go heavy with a reward offer so that we could get somebody to come forward,” Sirpis said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the confidential Maine OGT tip line at 1-800-253-7887.