South Tahoe man admits to shooting bear

This bear was killed last summer.. Photo/Toogee Sielsch

A South Lake Tahoe man today admitted to illegally killing a bear near his home in July 2015.

Gilbert Wetenkamp pleaded no contest March 11 to unlawfully taking an animal.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury is scheduled to sentence him on March 18. The maximum penalty is one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The 2½-year-old bear was shot in the backside with buckshot from a shotgun.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report