MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Middletown man is facing several misdemeanor and felony charges for shooting a young black bear without a tag, negligent discharge of a weapon and threatening witnesses.
The District Attorney’s Office filed a case against Matthew Charles Outen on May 2.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who handles the agency’s cases involving poaching and wildlife, filed the case against Outen.
Hinchcliff has charged Outen with misdemeanors including unlawful taking or possessing of wildlife, taking a bear without a tag, waste of game and unlawful shooting within 150 yards of a dwelling.
Outen also is facing two felonies for negligent discharge of a firearm and threatening witnesses, Hinchcliff said.
Authorities say that on April 3 Outen killed the juvenile black bear in Middletown.
Lt. Chris Stoots of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the incident originally was reported as a bear sighting.
He said people had gathered on a nearby bridge to watch, take videos and photograph the lanky young bear as it made its way through the creek.
The animal’s presence also was reported to the sheriff’s office and Fish and Wildlife, which had wardens respond to the area, Stoots said.
As bystanders continued to watch the bear, and before the wardens arrived, Stoots said Outen showed up, pursued the bear and shot it, according to Stoots.
Stoots said the onlookers were surprised and appalled. “There was quite the shrieking reaction from bystanders.”
Someone actually had video of Outen shooting the bear. “Officers were shown or given the video,” and from that footage were able to identify Outen, Stoots explained.
Wardens subsequently contacted Outen, who was cooperative with the investigation, Stoots said.
Outen was not arrested at that point, however, the investigation continued, with the report eventually completed and forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to Stoots.
Court records showed that an arraignment date has not yet been set in the case.
Adult black bears can be hunted in California, but hunters must have a bear tag. General bear hunting season opens concurrently with general deer season in August and continues until the end of December or when 1,700 bears have been reported taken, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.