Colorado wildlife officers arrested a man from the Salida area Saturday on suspicion of poaching a mother bear and two cubs, after the bears’ bodies were found in a field and tipsters pointed toward a suspect, state officials said.
Anonymous tips and social media posts talked about the bears being dumped into a State Land Board trust property southeast of Salida, said a statement by Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Bill Vogrin.
Officers followed the information to find a sow and two cubs dead in a field near Howard, between Salida and Canon City. The animals had been shot.
Without offering more details, the state said the subsequent investigation led officers to seek a search warrant for a home near Howard on Saturday. Officers said they found evidence the bears had been shot at the property early Sept. 25.
CPW officers arrested Paul Stromberg, 52, on suspicion of illegal destruction of wildlife, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of unlawful killing of wildlife without a license, unlawful possession and waste of game meat, the release said. Stromberg was taken to Fremont County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond pending formal charges, state officials said.
Vogrin said by phone Monday the division would have no other comment on the case or the arrest while the investigation continues. If the state obtains a conviction, the charges can result in fines from $750 to $13,000 and up to six months in jail, the state release said.
Wildlife officials encourage anyone with more information about the alleged incident to contact the division’s Salida office at 719-530-5520.