Brickbat: Out of Season

Last year, federal
and North Carolina and Georgia state wildlife law enforcement
announced the results of Operation Something Bruin, a joint
investigation that resulted in bear-poaching charges against 80
people. But an investigation by an Atlanta TV station found that
charges against many of those people have since been dropped
for lack of evidence and others were allowed to plead
guilty to misdemeanor charges such as driving on a closed forestry
road. In fact, the investigation found that law enforcement
officers, not the alleged poachers, killed many of the bears. In
some cases, the alleged poachers weren’t even with the law
enforcement officers when they killed the bears. Rabun County,
Georgia, District Attorney Brian Rickman said he’s considered
taking a criminal case against one of the officers to the grand
jury, but he says he fears that any indictment would be kicked up
to the federal system where prosecutors would dismiss it.