- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A non-Native Minnesota man will have a lot of time on his hands to think about trespassing onto the Red Lake Indian Reservation and then removing the head of a 700-pound black bear after a federal judge in St. Paul, Minn. Wednesday sentenced him to a 15-month prison term.
In addition to his prison term, Brett James Stimac, 41, of Brainerd, Minn., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to a one-year supervised release and a $9,500 fine.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Stimac pleaded guilty in September 2020 to knowingly and without authorization or permission, entered the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the purposes of hunting a bear on Sept. 1, 2019. According to U.S District Court (Minnesota District) documents, Stimac, using a compound bow, shot and killed a large American black bear near the Reservation’s garbage dump.
In court documents, Stimac returned the next day, on Sept. 2, 2019, to the dump and located the bloody carcass of the bear. Stimac then posed for photographs with the bear’s carcass and later shared the photographs on Facebook.
Because of the bear’s large size, Stimac could not move the bear from the reservation. Instead, he used a saw to remove the bear’s head for a trophy. According to court documents, Stimac also cut off some of the bear’s paws and took about 71 pounds of meat from the animal and then left the remainder of the carcass behind to spoil.
Non-Natives are forbidden to hunt bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, home to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. Bears are part of the clan system to the Red Lake Band and are considered sacred.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina L. Allery and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.
More Stories Like This
Chickasaw Children’s Village Celebrates 20 Years of Nurturing First American StudentsOregon Governor Visits Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Water Rights Agreement with Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona Signed
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal Bench
A Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
