MONROE COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL WILDLIFE POSSESSION
Some may have thought Stephen Andrew Moore, 46, of Tannersville, Monroe County, enjoyed wildlife. However, as neighbors may have noticed a decline in the local wildlife populations, it became clear that Moore was participating in a non-traditional form of poaching: possession of wildlife illegally taken from the wild for "a hobby that got out of control," according to Moore.
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers today announced that, on Oct. 29, Moore pled guilty to 30 counts of illegal possession of various species ranging from blue jays to raccoons, from chipping sparrows to gray squirrels, from groundhogs to purple finches. As part of the plea agreement, charges against Moore for cruelty to animals were withdrawn. District Judge Thomas E. Olsen, of Tannersville, ordered Moore to pay $2,250 in fines, and $750 in reimbursement to the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for expenses incurred treating the wildlife that survived.
For more information on this case, please visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency website:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=11&Q=177516
