Wisconsin man pleads guilty to illegally transporting bear

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FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused of illegally transporting a black bear carcass from Canada to North Dakota has reached a plea agreement, federal prosecutors said on Thursday.

Authorities said Joseph Stolarczyk, of Mosinee, Wisconsin, exceeded the Manitoba bag limit by killing two bears in the same year. He was arrested after bringing the bear across the Pembina Port of Entry in northeastern North Dakota.

Stolarczyk pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of unlawful transportation of wildlife in foreign commerce, according to court documents.

“Mr. Stolarczyk has agreed to plead guilty to the charge issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that in the exercise of due care he should have known he was allowed to take only a single bear in one calendar year in Manitoba,” Stolarczyk’s attorney, Richard Coad, said in a statement. “He accepts full responsibility for his actions.”

Stolarczyk could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, KVRR-TV reported.