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HOUSTON - A Houston-area man admitted to killing a bald eagle, according to a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Man pleads guilty to killing bald eagle
What we know:
Officials said Santos Guerrero, who lives in from Porter, Texas, entered a guilty plea to shooting and causing the death of a protected species.
The statement stated that Guerrero admitted he shot a bald eagle at his home back in October 2024.
According to the statement, authorities responded to reports of the incident an saw video footage of the eagle being shot and falling from a tree.
Officials then went to Guerrero's home and matched the tree to the one seen in the video. The eagle was found alive and taken to an animal hospital, but had to be euthanized due to its injuries, the statement said.
According to the statement, a necropsy determined the bullet caused significant damage to the eagle's wing. The impact from the fall also caused liver fractures, internal bleeding, and a fractured leg.
According to officials, bald eagles are no longer listed as endangered but remain protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The law prohibits killing, possessing, selling, transporting, exporting or importing any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest or egg, unless permitted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray accepted the plea and set sentencing for July 30. At that time, Guerrero faces up to a year in federal prison and $100,000 maximum fine.
The Source: Statement from Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.