Defendant in bear killing wants venue change
Gilbert Wetenkamp, the South Lake Tahoe man accused of killing a bear in July, is seeking to have the trial moved to the West Slope.
He was in court on Jan. 8. El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury said she is not inclined to grant the motion, but told Wetenkamp’s public defender that he has the right to fill out the requisite paperwork.
The trial date has been set for March 11.
In September, Wetenkamp pleaded not guilty to one misdemeanor count of unlawful taking of an animal. He is accused of shooting a black bear to death on July 9. The 2½-year-old bear was shot in the backside with buckshot from a shotgun.
The maximum penalty, if convicted, is one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
I don’t know about the rest of Tahoe, but I think there could be a better resolution to this. Granted he did it, but to go through the cost and strangeness of a jury trial for this is insane.
The animal was a real problem but jail time for an old man is just nuts.
I think he should definitely go to jail , or pay a really big fine-more than $1,000.the bear was in a tree, not threatening him at all. He sounds like a loose cannon that could turn on anyone. He could have called animal welfare or th police to remove the bear. His solution to the problem was death. I think he’s the problem , not the bear. I would like our bear back.
Cranky, I can’t agree with you. The bear was in a tree, the man was not threatened . If he was anoiyed with the bear he should have called animal control, but no , his answer was death for the bear. He murdered the bear, for that I think he should go to jail or pay a fine much larger than $1,000.He is a loose cannon, and he can turn on anyone.
Alberta-
If I recall correctly, I think he shot the bear on his own property, the bear subsequently climbed a tree and died, falling to the ground. But that is really not the point. This was a repeat visit by the bear, and I think the man HAD called authorities before.
I am not condoning what he did, just the general attitude and almost rabid attempts to put an old man in jail for defending his property and possibly his life.
People around here have gotten lesser sentences for attacking people, especially as a first offense.
In other venues the system was trying to not charge a cop who shot an impaired young man 16 times from a distance of 20 or so feet ” because he feared for his life”
Did I mention that the man was armed at worst with a folding knife. What was he going to do to the cop from 20 feet with that?
We need to get our priorities right.
I actually believe the Nevada wildlife people have a better approach to bears who prove to be aggressive.
Black bear attacks on people are showing an increase and there have been deaths.
There comes a point where you have to decide who is the most important organism, and I side with the bipeds….us.
This person is more of a problem than the bear ever was ! Ask around his neighborhood and you will hear a lot of stories about this guy making neighbors lives very difficult . This is not a nice ” old man .” He murdered the bear . Hopefully his trial stays in Tahoe so he doesn’t get away with it.
Could you post some references to ” increasing black bear attacks and deaths ?” Did they occur in Tahoe ? And you are aware that NDOW just kills the bear if a person complains ?
People who live in Tahoe need to learn to live in bear country . Secure your trash and the bears aren’t a problem . We definitely have a “people problem ” when it comes to the bears
The fine should be $10,000 minimum. And some jail time.
Just to clarify in the history of California, Nevada, and Oregon there has never been a human death caused by a wild black bear. And if Mr. Wetenkamp felt threatened, than by virtue of him entering his house to retrieve his shotgun at that point he was in complete safety. Threat no longer existed.
Mr. Wetenkamp felt justified in not securing his trash or keeping his garage closed. Personally I feel he should be ordered to install a bear box trash enclosure and have to bear proof his property. And I would be MORE than willing to help him achieve that goal.
Toogee, black bears have killed 7 people in North America since 2010. You are trying to lie with statistics to state black bears dont kill people. They can and do. And a bear that will come in a house that smells like a person is extremely dangerous.
Did any of those incidents happen in California , Oregon , or Nevada ? People get killed by dogs every year too …
Mr or Ms Hazard, I didn’t say no one has ever been killed by a black bear, I said never in CA, NV, or OR. I didn’t infer they aren’t dangerous either. I am saying that with some common sense prevention and bear proofing can aleviate 99.9% of any danger associated with black bears, or any wildlife for that matter, no killing of wildlife needed.
Moral: Normalize that by the population of north america and a rate. 7/100s of millions/5 years.
~4×10^-9 deaths *per year* for a population of 300M.
About the same scale as winning the powerball lottery.
I would recommend Jail time, If not people can get away with this again ,and again.
Did he remember to say “it’s comin right for us!”? If so, its legal. Citation:
http://southpark.cc.com/clips/149674/its-coming-right-for-us
Gerald- While I generally agree with you, you’ve lost me on this one. He discharged a firearm in a neighborhood, which is illegal anywhere in the basin. Some people just refuse to acknowledge where they live and get with the wildlife program. It doesn’t take a genius -just some practical preventative measures and responses.
Thanks Toogee, for volunteering to put a bear box in for the guy.
He doesn’t need to spend time in jail for a message to be heard, loud and clear, about how ‘problem’ people and bears are to be handled in Tahoe.