Bald Eagle killer sentenced to five years in prison

Alfred Craft of West Monroe, La., recently received a five-year prison sentence along with a $50,000 fine, a bill for $11,000 in restitution to the state of Arkansas, and (I really like this part) a bill for the $23,000-per-year cost of his incarceration.

Craft's sentence stems from his guilty plea of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and his conviction of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and three counts of witness tampering.

The charges developed in 2004 after someone tipped Arkansas Game and Fish officers about possible wildlife poisoning on Craft's farm in Izard County, Ark. The officers found several dead animals, including vultures.

Their report to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service resulted in a search warrant. Investigators found a dead Bald Eagle, deer and duck bodies, and sardines that might've been poisoned bait.

In the eagle's stomach, forensic scientists at the FWS forensic laboratory found an agricultural pesicide, Temik. It's typically used to control insects on rice, corn and citrus crops, and its use is legally restricted.

Is it just me, or do you think that Craft should spend a few years hearing eagle calls piped into his cell?

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service