On Friday, September 29, agents with Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) discovered three dead bears on state trust land southeast of the town of Salida. They determined that the bears had been illegally killed and dumped there, and further evidence led them to arrest a man at his home in the nearby town of Howard. 52-year-old Paul Stromberg is now facing felony and misdemeanor charges in relation to the illegal wildlife killings.
“The CPW investigation led Wildlife Officers to obtain a search warrant on Saturday for a home near Howard where they found evidence the bears had been shot there early on Monday, Sept. 25,” the state agency said in the press release. “[Stromberg faces] assorted wildlife charges including a felony count of illegal destruction of wildlife and several misdemeanors including unlawful killing of wildlife without a license, unlawful possession and waste of game meat.”
Stromberg was taken to the Fremont County Jail and later released on a $10,000 bond, CPW said, and formal charges are still pending. According to the press release, poaching convictions in Colorado can lead to fines and surcharges ranging from $750 to $13,000 and up to 6 months in jail.
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Officers located the three dead bears after fielding “anonymous tips” and reports about the animals on social media. When contacted by phone, CPW spokesman Bill Vogrin said that no other details about the ongoing case are available at this time. CPW is asking anyone with additional information to contact its Salida field office at 719-530-5520.
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