Plea, sentencing set for killing endangered whooping crane

[douglas9]

A man accused of killing one of Louisiana's oldest whooping cranes is scheduled to change his plea and be sentenced in the state where more of the endangered cranes have been killed than any other.

Gilvin Aucoin Jr.'s public defender notified the federal court in Lafayette on Oct. 1 that Aucoin wanted to change his plea from not guilty to a charge of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in July 2018.

Whooping cranes are among the world's most endangered birds. About 850 are alive, with about 660 of them in the wild. Nearly all of Louisiana's birds, like the one killed in 2018, were raised by people in crane costumes so the birds will stay wary of humans.

Rearing, releasing and monitoring one crane in Louisiana costs $93,700, said Lizzie Condon, whooping crane outreach coordinator for the International Crane Foundation.

She said more of the 5-foot-tall (1.5-meter-tall) cranes have been killed in Louisiana than in any other state or province, and the foundation is hoping for a sentence that will deter further killings. She and her central flyway counterpart, Anna Turkett, planned to attend Aucoin's hearing Friday before Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst

https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Plea-sentencing-set-for-killing-endangered-14728624.php

[3Hotdogs]

1. post the sentence, if you hear what it is

[douglas9]

2. From 2017 case....doubt 2019 will be much different

LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Gueydan man was sentenced last week to 45 days in prison for shooting a whooping crane and ducks.



Lane Thomas Thibodeaux, 21, of Gueydan, La., pleaded guilty and was sentenced Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst to one count of taking a migratory bird for which there is no season, one count of taking migratory game birds during closed season, one count of taking migratory game birds from a motor vehicle, one count of wanton waste of migratory game birds, and one count of taking game birds without state hunting license. He was also ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. According to the guilty plea, Thibodeaux shot at a group of birds on November 2, 2014 near a crawfish pond in Vermilion Parish. The shot crippled a whooping crane, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Thibodeaux admitted to shooting and killing multiple ducks from the driver’s seat of a moving vehicle on a public road during the closed season on February 14, 2015. Thibodeaux did not retrieve the ducks carcasses from the field, and he did not possess a required Louisiana hunting license.



The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Forrest Phillips is prosecuting the case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdla/pr/gueydan-man-sentenced-shooting-endangered-whooping-crane

[cab67]

5. There's a difference

between a sportsman and a douchebag with a gun.

[douglas9]

3. The Latest: Man gets probation for killing whooping crane

A Louisiana man has been sentenced to probation for killing one of the state's oldest whooping cranes.

In a hearing Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst, Gilvin P. Aucoin Jr. changed his plea to guilty for a misdemeanor violation of the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He shot a whooping crane in July 2018 in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana.

Whitehurst sentenced Aucoin to two years' probation, during which time he cannot hunt or fish, and 120 hours community service to be served with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Aucoin also must complete a hunter education course.

International Crane Foundation President and CEO Rich Beilfuss, in a statement, said his group was concerned that "soft penalties like this ... send the wrong message and do not serve as a deterrent to future shootings of whooping cranes or other threatened species."


https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/The-Latest-Man-gets-probation-for-killing-14803216.php

[douglas9]

4. Man from Ville Platte Sentenced for Killing Endangered Whooping Crane

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst sentenced Gilvin P. Aucoin Jr., 53, of Ville Platte Louisiana, to two years of probation, during which time he must complete 120 hours of community service related to environmental conservation and complete a hunter’s education course for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by shooting a whooping crane. Also, as part of the sentence, Aucoin’s hunting and fishing privileges have been suspended for the period of his probation.

According to information presented in court, Aucoin shot at and killed a whooping crane, an endangered species, in Evangeline Parish on July 24, 2018. Aucoin saw the bird while working on a farm and shot at the bird multiple times using his rifle with an attached scope. He ultimately killed the whooping crane, leaving the bird where it fell.

“Whooping crane poaching is an offense that will be investigated thoroughly by my office and law enforcement agents,” stated U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph. “Many state and federal resources have been dedicated to ensuring the survival and stability of the whooping crane population in Louisiana, which is an endangered species and a valuable part of our ecosystem. Those who kill or attempt to kill a whooping crane in the Western District of Louisiana will pay the consequences.”

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agents cited Aucoin for the illegal shooting of the whooping crane on July 26, 2018.

The United States Fish & Wildlife Service and LDWF conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.

n/t


https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdla/pr/man-ville-platte-sentenced-killing-endangered-whooping-crane