THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay man has been fined $5,000 and received a five-year hunting suspension and one-year suspended sentence for illegal moose hunting offences.
Clarence Roberts was convicted and fined $5,000 for careless hunting, received a five-year hunting suspension and must take the Ontario Hunter Education Course before he can purchase another Ontario hunting licence. Roberts also received a one-year suspended sentence for shooting from a roadway.
Court heard that on September 20, 2014, conservation officers contacted a man who shot a moose while both were on Pikitigushi Road in the Armstrong area. Further investigation determined that two men witnessed and video recorded the shooting. The court learned through witness testimony and the contents of the video that Roberts had fired his rifle twice at the moose down the road, past the two men in a vehicle. One of the two bullets hit the moose, which was later seized and donated to a local First Nation.
Justice of the Peace J.A. Bernard Caron heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, on November 20 and 21, 2017. The decision was rendered on December 11, 2017, followed by sentencing the next day.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
