Pennsylvania Felon Charged After Bird Feed Bear Killing and Attempted Cover Up

I suppose no one likes seeing their bird seed being raided, but like everything else in life, we have to find some restraint. In a story coming out of western Pennsylvania, a Karns City man is facing some hefty charges after blasting a black bear in his yard and falsifying a story to wildlife officials.

The incident took place on June 6th at the home of 54-year-old Thomas Risinger. According to reports, Risinger alerted state game wardens about a severely injured black bear on his back porch. When officers arrived, they found the suffering bear exactly where he said it would be and made the decision to euthanize the animal on the spot.

Initially claiming that he heard a gunshot and then discovered the injured bruin, Risinger led investigators to believe that the bear was shot elsewhere and ended up in a heap on his doorstep. Taking him at his word, game wardens began their investigation on the property and soon found evidence that led them to believe that the 54-year-old was stringing them along.

According to charging documents, one warden discovered a pair of live rifle cartridges beside the bear’s head, which was missing a large portion of its lower jaw. Thinking that there was more to the story than what Risinger was offering, the warden went back to the suspect with questions about the rifle cartridges and the condition of the bear.

As the warden hit Risinger with additional questions and evidence, the man soon fessed up for his wrong doing. He later went on to say that he was inside his home when he first heard a noise coming from his back porch. Risinger noted that the bear had dragged off a large container of bird seed from his porch to his driveway. He said that he first attempted to scare the bear off, but when it held its ground, Risinger admitted to grabbing his rifle.

He said that he hollered at the bear one more time before firing any shots. As the bear stood up on his hind legs, Risinger told the investigating officer that he interpreted that as a threat. Shouldering the rifle, he took aim at the bear’s head and fired at the animal, hitting it in the mouth. According to Risinger’s account, the bear then charged at him as he was standing on his porch and he was able to get inside the house before the bear reached him. After the shooting, Risinger allegedly brought the rifle to a neighbor’s house to hide it from authorities.

Based on the account of the incident, and the fact that Risinger originally fabricated a lie to the investigating officer, the incident was not deemed a situation of self-defense. The warden stated that the bear was illegally shot out of season and Risinger was subject to charges.

Risinger, a convicted felon, is also facing charges for the possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 15th and he is currently being held in the Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail.