Dad arrested for taking pictures a bear that ‘came within feet’ of his youngsters at their Connecticut residence | EUROtoday

State legislators in Connecticut are demanding an evidence after an area father stated he had been arrested and charged with killing a bear in self-defense.

Todd Topicz, 39, of Bethlehem in Litchfield County, advised native broadcaster WFSB earlier this month that he believed he needed to act when a black bear entered his storage, raided his trash, got here “within feet” of his two youngsters, and was then chased up a tree by his canine.

Topicz stated he fired 5 warning photographs on the bear and chased it off into the woods, solely to understand afterwards that he had unintentionally hit and killed it.

Killing bears is unlawful in Connecticut except an individual “reasonably believes” that it’s coming into an occupied constructing, attacking or threatening a human being, or attacking a correctly managed pet.

Nevertheless, the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) charged Topicz with the unlawful taking of a bear, which means he should now endure a rehabilitation program to dismiss the depend.

“We were all threatened. It entered our home. And I have no idea why DEEP ended up charging me for this,” the U.S. Army veteran advised WFSB.

In a letter to DEEP final week, Republican state Senators Eric Berthel, Henri Martin, and Stephen Harding stated Topicz had been “understandably confused” by his arrest, and so they requested to know why DEEP was refusing to touch upon the case.

“A public statement from DEEP regarding this public safety matter would help resolve confusion and enable us to better communicate with our constituents,” they wrote.

A spokesperson for DEEP advised The Independent that it couldn’t touch upon Topicz’s case as a result of a court docket has ordered that its file be sealed.

According to CT Insider, the state’s bear inhabitants has boomed lately, inflicting controversy over whether or not the state ought to permit a bear hunt to cull the animals’ numbers.

Topicz, who moved to Connecticut from Florida a few 12 months in the past, stated the incident occurred final August when he was taking a night nap after coming residence from work and abruptly heard his spouse yelling.

Grabbing his pistol, he discovered {that a} black bear had wandered into the household’s storage whereas his 3-year-old daughter and 10-year-old stepson have been taking part in there

While Topicz’s spouse grabbed the youngsters, the bear went after a rubbish bag, earlier than apparently going outdoors the place it was chased up a tree by his Belgian Shepherd canine.

Topicz then tried to scare the bear off with warning photographs, finally inflicting it to climb down and run off into the forest. A neighbor heard the noise and known as the police, who arrested Topicz on prices of negligent discharge of a firearm and breach of the peace.

The subsequent day he discovered the bear lifeless in a ditch close by, in the end main the state’s Environmental Conservation Police — a part of DEEP — to cost him with its dying.