Alaska State Troopers reported the closure of a Haines case involving the illegal killing of three Brown Bears with the conclusion of sentencing in the case on Friday.

23-year-old Dalton Huston of Haines was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 90 suspended, which he must serve immediately. Huston was also fined a total of $10,900 during sentencing, which included a fine of $5,000 for a sow bear, and $1,000 each for two cubs. The fine also included restitution of $1,300 for each bear. Huston was placed on probation and lost his hunting privileges for a period of two years from the date of sentencing. Huston’s firearm was also forfeited to the State of Alaska.

It was August of 2014 that an anonymous call went in to Alaska Wildlife Troopers that initiated an investigation into the killing of the three bears.

The trooper investigation that ensued revealed that on August 10th of last year, Huston returned to his residence in Haines to find a mother and two cubs “rummaging through trash that was strewn about the entire property,” according to troopers. Huston chased the intruding bears from the property, but would track them down and eventually kill all three bears.

Huston was originally charged with three counts of taking brown bears in General Management Unit One during a closed season as well as three counts of Unlawful Possession. The Unlawful Possession charges were dropped as a result of Huston’s guilty plea for the other charges.

  brown bear, dalton huston, haines, illegal, sentencing, shooting