County Commissioners side with defendant in grizzly death

Arraignment for a Boundary County man facing federal felony charges for killing a grizzly bear at his home May 8 has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 23, in Federal District Court in Coeur d’Alene.

And while County Commissioners have been working with state and federal agencies for years to see the grizzly bear population recover, in this case, they’re standing beside the defendant, Jeremy Hill, 33, and have drafted a letter, which is being sent to Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, the Idaho U.S. Congressional delegation, and the Idaho District 1 Delegation, seeking to have the charges dismissed.

“In this case, a grizzly sow and two cubs were on Hill’s property more than five miles outside any recovery zone,” said Commission chairman Ron Smith. “Jeremy and his wife have six young children, and the bears posed a threat to his family. It is the unanimous conviction of this board that Jeremy Hill had not only the right but the obligation to protect his children and his family.”

So, apparently, did local Idaho Fish and Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers, who did not recommend that charges be brought. That recommendation was over-ruled in Washington, D.C., and the charge was filed August 8 by U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson.