FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A 24-year-old Minnesota man accused of illegally capturing a bald eagle in North Dakota has been sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $4,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Aaron Reiling, of Halstad, Minn., pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful taking of a bald eagle. Authorities say he was trapping without a license and trespassing on private land near Hillsboro in December 2011.
Authorities say a game warden discovered a bald eagle with one leg caught in Reiling’s spring trap, which was about a foot from where a deer carcass had been illegally placed.
The eagle did not recover from its injuries and was euthanized on Jan. 14.
U.S. Magistrate Alice Senechal says Reiling cannot hunt or trap in the United States during probation.
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