Homeowner accused of shooting mother bear in north GA mountains
A homeowner faces charges in the shooting and killing of a mother bear in the north Georgia mountains.
The Bent Tree Public Safety and Management said the homeowner has been charged by a Georgia Department of Natural Resources game warden.
Bent Tree has also cited him for violating its rules and regulations.
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Someone spotted the mother bear's body on Oglethorpe Mountain Road on Friday and said there were two cubs near her.
The cubs have been spotted since then, but not since Monday afternoon.
Bent Tree officials said a man who lives near the spot admitted that he shot the bear Thursday night.
The man said that the bear came to his house three times that night, hitting the glass on his door and aggravating his dogs.
The first time, he said he yelled and banged on the glass to scare the bear away. The second time, he turned his car alarm on.
During the bear's third visit around 10 p.m., the man said he 'felt like he could not go to sleep safely' and fired his gun from the side window of his house to scare the bear away.
The man said the bear had been in his driveway near the porch and ran off.
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The Bent Tree Public Safety Department said an employee received a text from the man asking if he could shoot the bear.
The employee responded to not shoot it and to instead call public safety to scare the bear away.
The text messages were sent 45 minutes before the man said he shot the bear. The public safety department said it never got a call from him.
The homeowner has not been identified.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the Georgia DNR to confirm the exact charges. A spokesman said the report will be available by the end of the week.
As for the cubs, Bent Tree officials have asked for neighbors to not search for them, but report any activity to them by calling 770-893-2628.
'If you can get a video or picture from your vehicle or home without scaring them, please do so. We are focused on reports of one or two cubs. Our team continues to report information to the DNR and coordinate with them for the best resolution for the cubs. We will provide updates with any changes or new information,' they said.
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