Texas man gets prison after violating probation for whooping crane poaching.
A Jefferson County, Texas man who pled guilty to poaching two whooping cranes last January will now spend 11 months in a federal prison after the U.S. Attorney's office says he violated his probation.
12 News Now reports Trey Frederick pled guilty to shooting the birds, a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, last May. He got five years of probation for the crime. He was also ordered to pay $25,815 in restitution to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the International Crane Foundation.
It seems the probation and huge fine was not enough to dissuade him. Frederick was caught with an AR-15 hunting from a road. His probation dictated he was banned not only from hunting and fishing anywhere in the U.S., but also from owning firearms.
The Beaumont Enterprise further reports he will have a year of supervised release after his prison sentence is up.
"Apparently Mr. Frederick did not appreciate the leniency he was given, and today he learned the consequences," Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston said in a statement. "Mr. Frederick will now have 11 months to contemplate his actions."
Whooping cranes are one of the rarest birds in North America. The current population in the wild is only around 400. The birds are so rare, both their deaths and their births tend to make headlines across the country.
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