Country singer pleads guilty in trophy bear case

[Woody Williams]

Country singer pleads guilty in trophy bear case

Larry Oakes
Last update: November 27, 2006 – 12:26 PM

DULUTH -- Country singer Troy Lee Gentry pleaded guilty this morning in U.S. District Court in Duluth to a misdemeanor charge of falsely registering a trophy bear he killed as wild, when in fact it was a captive bear named "Cubby," which he shot near Sandstone, Minn., in 2004.

As part of a plea agreement that avoided a trial that was to start today, Gentry, 39, agreed to pay a $15,000 fine, forfeit the bear's hide and the bow he used to shoot the animal and give up hunting, fishing and trapping in Minnesota for five years.

At the same hearing, Gentry's local hunting guide, Lee Marvin Greenly, owner of the Minnesota Wildlife Connection near Sandstone, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of aiding other hunters to kill bears at baiting stations he maintained illegally inside the Sandstone National Wildlife Refuge.

Greenly, 46, faces a maximum prison sentence of five years for each count, a maximum fine of $400,000 and forfeiture of ATVs he and employees used to reach the bait stations.

In exchange for Gentry's plea, federal prosecutors agreed to drop a felony charge of violating the Lacey Act, which authorities say prohibits possessing or transporting illegally obtained -- or, as in this case, illegally registered -- wildlife.

Gentry, dressed in dark business suit, testified that he bought "Cubby" from Greenly with the understanding that they would stage and videotape a hunt inside the bear's 3-acre enclosure, which is surrounded by an electric fence.

"Lee and I made a deal about harvesting this bear," Gentry testified. He said they also agreed to falsely claim when registering the animal that it was killed in the wild six miles east of Sandstone instead of on Greenly's property south of the town.

Gentry answered with a polite, "Yes, your honor," and "No, your honor," in response to questions from U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, who ordered a presentence investigation for both defendants and advised them to appear for sentencing at a date to be announced later, or risk an additional charge.

Gentry declined to comment as he left the courthouse. His attorney, Ron Meshbesher, said his client pleaded guilty to "a simple charge having to do with improper tagging [of a game animal], and that's all it ever was."

Magnuson seemed to make a similar point from the bench, saying that interested parties had sent him "a number of communications that haven't reflected the charge at all...Mr. Gentry didn't tag this bear properly. That's the charge."

[Makomachine]

Put away the key? I like putting him in the bait bucket and letting the bears do the dirty work.

[saxman]

Put um both under the jail,or better yet in the cell with another CUBBY

[raydaughety]

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME How can you Kill an animal under such circumstances and sleep at night. Beats the hell out of me. I Just don't get it.

[BigBird-VA]

Fines were made years ago for average Joe. $15K is like a parking ticket for a "star" but probably all they could do within the law. The embarrassment factor might play in this some too. Still how you can shoot a penned animal is beyond me.

[tkstae]

That is a sad way to go about the fine sport of Hunting!!!