Oregon man fined for driving into eagles

bald eagle in Unalaska
A bald eagle on the roof of Unalaska’s recreation center. (Photo by John Ryan/KUCB)

An Oregon man who killed two eagles after deliberately driving his truck through a convocation of them last summer was sentenced this month by an Unalaska judge.

Alaska wildlife troopers issued 29-year-old Dennis C. Thompson a citation last June after a hit and run investigation. The charge was illegal taking of game.

According to a June 2015 state trooper dispatch, Thompson was accused of “using a motorized vehicle to harass and/or molest game by accelerating a Ford truck through several bald eagles that were feeding on the roadway.” The incident happened on Summer Bay Road near the Unalaska landfill.

Bald eagles are protected under federal law. Unalaska Deputy Police Chief Jennifer Shockley said in Unalaska, it’s common for residents to have run-ins with the birds.

“We do have a number of incidents every year, people report that eagles have struck their vehicle while they are driving down the road, totally unintentionally,” Shockley said. “So it’s not that eagles being hit by cars is particularly unusual, but the intentional part of it is what sets this apart.”

Last week, Thompson pleaded guilty at the Unalaska District Court. He was fined $1,000, half of which was suspended, and he was placed on probation for a year. The judge also ordered him to pay $3,400 in restitution to the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage.

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