An 18-year-old Beaumont man was arrested Thursday by federal authorities on a charge connected to the shooting deaths of two endangered whooping cranes in Jefferson County.
U.S. Attorney John M. Bales of the Eastern District of Texas said Trey Joseph Frederick has been charged with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He appeared in federal court in Beaumont Thursday afternoon. He faces up to six months in federal prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
Court documents show that a Texas game warden on Sunday received two calls that two whooping cranes had been shot on Blair Road in Jefferson County. Investigation showed a man had been seen in the area with a hunting rifle and claimed to have been hunting geese.
Federal agents contacted Frederick at his residence on LaBelle Road and he admitted to killing the cranes. Whooping cranes are protected and it is against the law to capture, kill, or attempt to capture or kill one in the United States.
The case has been investigated by agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens and officers with the law enforcement division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte is the prosecutor.
Social Media