By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

Controversy over Nevada’s black bear hunt took a new twist Tuesday, with American Indians opposed to the hunt saying they’ve been questioned over the matter by the FBI.

Representatives of the American Indian Movement who spoke out against killing Nevada’s bears on religious grounds last month are claiming their rights were violated by questioning by an agent of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“It’s a civil rights violation. We did nothing wrong,” said Lisa Bonta, a member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and a founding member of AIM’s newly formed Northern Nevada chapter.

Bonta said she and her husband Johnny were questioned April 2 at her Reno apartment by George Cholico, a Washoe County detective attached to the FBI’s terrorism task force in Reno.

Cholico declined to discuss the matter with the Reno Gazette-Journal, referring questions to the FBI’s Las Vegas office. FBI spokesman Patrick Turner said in an e-mail statement that the bureau was investigating a citizens complaint, “conducted an assessment and determined no further investigation was warranted at this time.”

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