North Strabane man to plead guilty to fatally shooting bald eagle

A North Strabane man has agreed to plead guilty to fatally shooting a bald eagle last year in Washington County, court records show.

As part of the plea deal, attorneys said Rodney Thomas, 51, will forfeit an air rifle and suppressor and pay $9,800 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Council, according to court records. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5 at the federal courthouse in Pittsburgh.

Attorneys for Thomas and the federal government said they will ask the judge for a sentence that allows Thomas to avoid prison time in exchange for his guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge of killing the mature bird.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission began investigating in May after the eagle was found dead along Water Dam Road in Mt. Pleasant Township. Witnesses told investigators they saw the bird drop from the sky on May 12.

Thomas came forward and admitted to shooting the bird. He was indicted in July.

Thomas told authorities he mistook the bald eagle for a turkey vulture, court records show.

The bald eagle has been America’s national bird since the 1780s. It falls under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Turkey vultures also are a federally protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required to take any bird covered by that act.

Prosecutors said some area residents could testify about their appreciation for the bird.

“The bald eagle was a fixture in Mt. Pleasant Township and its loss has left an emotional scar upon its residents,” prosecutors wrote in a memorandum.

Assistant federal public defender Sarah Levin wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Thomas deeply regrets the incident. He plans to present information during the hearing about his character.