Montana man gets 2 months in a federal prison for evidence tampering after killing grizzly bear

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — An 80-year-old northwestern Montana man has been sentenced to two months in a federal prison, fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit a rifle he used to kill a female grizzly bear on his property in November 2020. Othel Lee Pearson pleaded guilty in February to felony tampering with evidence for cutting off the bear’s GPS collar and throwing it in a river, removing the bear’s lip tattoo and ear tag and cutting off its paws. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for failing to report killing the bear within five days. Pearson said he shot the bear in defense of himself and his wife.