Charges on Tanner dropped

Instead of going to trial for the killings of a bear sow and her three cubs, Yukon Don Tanner saw the wildlife infraction charges against him dismissed by the district attorney. Tanner’s jury trial was scheduled for November 12, but that day, Anchorage assistant attorney general for special prosecutions Andrew Peterson dropped the charges and settled with Tanner.

The bear killings happened in July when a sow with three cubs approached Tanners cabin near Clear Creek. A trooper report says Tanner shot the grizzly sow through an open window at his residence and that she was accompanied by three cubs. Tanner then shot two of the brown bear cubs as they were attempting to break into his residence. Tanner also shot the third cub as it was standing beside the sow. On July 20, Tanner was issued a summons to appear in court on the charges of Taking a Sow accompanied by Cubs and Taking a Cub Bear.

Prosecutors agreed to knock down the charge of illegally killing sow and cubs because Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists determined that the younger bears were about 2 years old and although the mother still nursed, they were technically not considered cubs. This dismissed the original charge of illegally taking sow and cubs.

Peterson withdrew the remaining charges of taking cub bears and Palmer Superior court judge John Wolfe dismissed the case.