Clark County man charged with shooting, killing bald eagle with shotgun

A 66-year-old Brush Prairie, Clark County resident was charged Tuesday with violating federal law by allegedly shooting and killing a bald eagle with a shotgun.

Benjamin G. Allen is accused of shooting and killing the bald eagle with a shotgun on Feb. 5. Allen has been summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Sept. 8, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers were called to a property in Brush Prairie about a dead eagle with blood on its head, according to records in the case.

One witness heard a gunshot earlier in the day. Allen had chickens near where the dead eagle was found.

Veterinary exam found 2 shotgun pellets in the eagle’s brain

Special Agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service later interviewed Allen about the dead eagle and what he had been doing that day. An exam by a veterinarian concluded that the eagle had two shotgun pellets in its brain, causing its death.

Allen was charged with a class A misdemeanor for violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Allen was also charged with a class B misdemeanor for unlawfully killing a migratory bird.

DOJ noted class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. A class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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