Arrest made in killing of Amite County black bear

Suspected shooter allegedly signed confession, MDWFP says.

An unidentified suspect has been arrested in the killing of a tagged black bear in Amite County after the alleged shooter confessed, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks said Monday (Jan. 9).

The investigation began Dec. 19 after MDWFP received an anonymous call reporting a bear had been killed in the Busy Corner community. The agency worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work the case.

“This particular bear lived in both Louisiana and Mississippi during his life, and was a testament to what can be achieved when neighboring states work together to attain a common goal,” MDWFP Black Bear Program Leader Brad Young said.

The bear that had been originally captured and tagged in December of 2010 in Coastal Louisiana by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

The bear weighed 30 to 40 pounds, and was extremely malnourished at the time of capture. It was therefore decided to send the bear to the Appalachian Bear Rescue recovery facility.

After four months of rehabilitation, the healthy 104-pound bear was returned to Louisiana in April 2011 and released on the Red River Wildlife Management Area, just across the Mississippi River from Wilkinson County.

“The loss of this bear is a setback to all those who have worked so hard to protect a resource that was once on the verge of extinction in Mississippi due to this same type of senseless act,” Young said.

The suspect, who was not identified by the MDWFP, allegedly signed a confession and will now face charges in federal court, the agency said.

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