Virginia Poacher Sentenced for Killing Protected Bald Eagles and Hawks

In a case that undoubtedly deserved more than the slap on the wrist that was offered, a Virginia duck hunter was sentenced in federal court this week for his role in killing over 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles and other raptors.

The case was concluded at the end of March of this year after Virginia Conservation Officer Brian Bratton closed up his two-year investigation. Following information from a tip he received over the 2023-24 waterfowl season, Bratton learned of an individual who was allegedly trapping and poisoning hawks on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Given the alleged killing of protected hawks and eagles, Bratton called in the feds to help assist with the investigation. Together with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, their teams slowly but surely uncovered a network of traps, poisoned bait and multiple carcasses to help fuel their investigation.

According to Bratton, the defendant, William Custis Smith, had spent a great deal of time building a waterfowl impoundment on his property and was working diligently to get the attention of the local waterfowl population. When Virginia officials and USFWS agents first interviewed Smith on his property, they found a pole trap - a tool often used to attract birds of prey to land, snaring them in the process. Investigators also noticed a juvenile bald eagle carcass laid on the ground nearby, leading agents to believe the bird had been poisoned by a substance known as carbofuran - a banned, highly toxic pesticide that kills rapidly, often leaving birds dead while still clutching prey.

“This particular poison acts so quickly that nine times out of 10 when an eagle, hawk or whatever eats something, it acts so quickly that they die with whatever they’re eating still in their claws,” Bratton said. “It’s hard to explain, but they have just a certain look about them, the body posture. Once you’ve seen it once or twice, you can almost tell that’s what to suspect.” 

Laboratory testing later determined that Bratton’s suspicions were correct and the eagle had been poisoned with the banned pesticide. As conversations progressed between the accused and wildlife officials, Smith eventually surrendered both the can of cabofuran he used to kill the birds and a full confession to killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles and hawks. 

Following the admission of guilt, Smith was charged in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia where he entered guilty pleas to five misdemeanor charges including Unlawful Taking of a Bald Eagle, Unlawful Taking of a Migratory Bird and Unlawful Use of a Pesticide.

Smith was then treated with a sweetheart deal, having been ordered to pay just $9,800 in restitution, he was treated to just 24 months worth of probation and a piddly one-day  jail sentence. 

And while we’re all supposed to swallow the story that the leniency given to Smith is due in part to his “selfless cooperation” and guilty plea, it’s an insult to the gravity of killing a protected species and will end up doing very little to deter future crimes.