Black bear shot with .22
Palatka, FL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 30, 2006
County: Putnam
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Ralph Paul, Jr.
A black bear that had been spotted roaming through Palatka is dead. A man is in jail, charged with killing the animal.
A picture of the bear was taken back in June by a Palatka police detective.
That day the detective told First Coast News he was concerned about what could happen.
"I'm concerned about what somebody is going to do if they see the bear. Are they going to try to take the bear down themselves, throw rocks at it, shoot the thing? People do strange things."
A short time later, the bear was found dead near a road of houses in the outskirts of Palatka.
An anonymous caller claimed 42-year-old Ralph Paul Jr. killed the bear with a .22 caliber rifle.
After six weeks of investigating, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrested Paul Jr. with help from FDLE, ATF, and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
Paul Jr.'s home is near where an FWC biologist found the bear. The bear was wearing a tracking device.
In the arrest report, the biologist claims x-rays of the bear show several small bullets. The biologist says the bear "suffered greatly and took nearly a week to die."
Paul Jr. is charged with killing a threatened species.
No one at his home would comment to First Coast News.
The bear's body is with biologists at the University of Florida.
Officers say Paul Jr. is a nine time convicted felon. A charge for possession of a gun by a convicted felon is expected as the investigation continues.
It was the first bear to be spotted inside Palatka's city limits in about seven years. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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