Alaska Father, Son Sentenced For Killing Black Bear And Cubs: AG

An Alaska father and son were sentenced for killing a black bear and her two newborn cubs, according to the Alaska Attorney General's Office.

Wasilla, Alaska residents Andrew and Owen Renner were convicted of eight and four counts respectively, related to the unlawful killing of the bears, unlawfully possessing the bears, and falsifying the sealing certificate, officials said.

District Court Judge Pamela Washington sentenced Andrew Renner to five months in jail with two months suspended. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine with $11,000 suspended, forfeit his ocean boat and trailer, 2012 GMC Sierra truck, two rifles, two handguns, two iPhones and two sets of backcountry skis, officials said. Renner's hunting license was suspended for 10 years.

Andrew Renner's son, Owen Renner, was sentenced to suspended jail time, community works service and was required to take a hunters safety course, officials said. His hunting license was suspended for two years.

Both Andrew and Owen Renner were ordered to pay $1,800 in restitution, officials said. The pair were sentenced on Jan. 22.

"The defendant, and anyone else that would pursue game in our state, should be on notice that killing a sow with cubs and then poaching the cubs to cover it up, will result in a significant jail term and loss of hunting privileges," Assistant Attorney General Aaron Peterson said in a statement. "People must know that poachers will be required to pay large fines and restitution for the illegal killing of the animals and that the vehicles, boat, planes, and instrumentalities used in wildlife crimes will be forfeited. These are the sentencing provisions that will let people know that Alaska does not tolerate poaching."

According to Alaska State Troopers, the poaching incident that happened in April 2018 was caught on camera as the bears' den had been fitted with a motion activated audio and video camera.

The video shows the two men skiing up to the den and troopers say Owen Renner fired two shots at the denning mother bear. Officials said the cubs began shrieking in the den after the fatal gunshots, the attorney general's office said. Troopers said that Andrew Renner then killed the newborn bear cubs and discarded their bodies away from the den. According to The Associated Press, under state law, it's illegal to kill black bear cubs or sows with cubs in most of Alaska, including where the shooting occurred.

Court documents obtained by the AP showed that the father and son realize the mother has a Fish and Game collar after dragging her from the den.

"Undeterred, Andrew Renner states, 'I'm gonna get rid of these guys' while tossing the cubs' limp carcasses onto the snow outside the den,'" the documents said.

The two men returned to the den two days later to pick up the shells and to "dispose of the dead bear cubs," troopers said. On April 30, troopers say Andrew Renner brought the mother black bear's skin and collar to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The AG's office said that Renner falsified the Black Bear Sealing Certificate by writing on the form that he killed the bear and by failing to indicate “illegal take” in the non-hunting kill info field.

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