An 82-year-old Windsor man was charged with the illegal killing of a black bear on his property Wednesday, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection agency (DEEP).
John G. Rocha, of Poquonock Avenue, was apprehended by Environmental Conservation (EnCon) officers at his home when they were alerted by Windsor Police that a bear had allegedly been shot and killed on Rocha's property, according to DEEP.
The bear, weighing approximately 250 pounds and between 5 and 6-years-old, was allegedly shot by Rocha with a .30 caliber rifle after "apparently causing damage to Mr. Rocha's bird feeder" in a tree, DEEP officials said Wednesday.
The bear was accompanied by a younger bear, which was unharmed.
The younger bear was described by DEEP officials as a 1-year-old weighing approximately 110 pounds, and was reportedly tranquilized and relocated by DEEP officials.
Rocha was charged by EnCon with negligent hunting, in addition to the charge of illegally killing a black bear.
According to DEEP, Rocha was "released on a promise to appear in Enfield Superior Court on January 17."
State and federal places firearms into four categories: handguns, long guns, assualt weapons and machine guns.
Per Connecticut law, long guns (rifles and shotguns) are the only category for which one needs no permit or certificate.
Assault weapons are illegal.
*This article has been modified to include correct firearm-permit requirements in the state of Connecticut.
