Moreland ordered to pay $10,000 civil restitution fee, sentenced to 60 days in jail with hunting license suspended for five years plus other penalties
Duell Moreland pleaded guilty on April 3 to illegally killing a Louisiana black bear in Concordia Parish last November, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Seventh Judicial District Judge Kathy Johnson accepted his plea and sentenced him to a $10,000 civil restitution fee for replacement value of the bear, a $950 fine, $254 in court costs, two years of probation, 120 days in the Concordia Parish Jail with 60 days suspended, suspension of his hunting license for five years and he cannot possess a firearm or bow for five years, the release states.
LDWF agents got an arrest warrant for Moreland, 24, of Monterey, on Nov. 14, 2013, after an investigation into a mortality signal from a radio-collared bear that was part of LDWF’s Black Bear Program.
At the scene off of Pete Davis Road in Wildsville in Concordia Parish, agents found the collar next to a burn pile containing bear parts, and they also noticed a broken down truck on the property that they later discovered belonged to Moreleand.
Two leaseholders of the property told agents Moreland was responsible for illegally killing the bear, according to the release.
Agents seized a rifle and crossbow from Moreland’s truck, as well as a knife from the scene, the release states.
In a separate incident on Jan. 31 of this year, Moreland and Ronnie Mason, 43, of Jonesville, were arrested for alleged hunting violations on Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge, according to LDWF.
In that case, Moreland was booked for hunting during illegal hours, failing to comply with deer tagging requirements, second offense illegal possession of marijuana, resisting an officer, possession of marijuana while in possession of a firearm, hunting deer using illegal methods and using archery equipment with illegal sights, according to LDWF.
Adam Einck, spokesman for LDWF, said Friday that Moreland’s guilty plea relating to killing the bear is unrelated to the Bayou Cocodrie case, and those charges remain.