Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation


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KSTP.com - 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Singer indicted for killing tame bear

Updated: 08/16/2006 07:21:45 AM

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - Country singer Troy Lee Gentry appeared in U.S. District Court in Duluth Tuesday, accused of killing a tame black bear that federal officials say he tagged as killed in the wild.

Gentry, 39, of Franklin, Tenn., and Lee Marvin Greenly, 46, of Sandstone, are both indicted for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act by falsely tagging a tame black bear as killed in the wild.

Gentry is half of the singing duo Montgomery Gentry, a top country act since the late 1990s.

Authorities allege that Gentry purchased the bear from Greenly, a wildlife photographer and hunting guide who owns the Minnesota Wildlife connection in Sandstone.

According to the charges, Gentry shot the bear in an enclosed pen with a bow and arrow, then allegedly arranged for the doctoring of a videotape of the alleged "wild" kill.

Gentry and Greenly made their initial appearances Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Erickson in connection with a sealed indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis in July.

The government alleged that Gentry and Greenly tagged the dead bear, killed on Greenly's property in October 2004, with a Minnesota hunting license and registered the animal with the state Department of Natural Resources as a wild kill.

According to the indictment, Gentry paid about $4,650 for the bear, named "Cubby." The bear's death was videotaped, and the tape later edited so Gentry appeared to shoot the bear in a "fair chase" hunting situation, the government alleged.

If convicted, both Gentry and Greenly face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $20,000 fine.

Greenly also was charged with two unrelated crimes related to his work as a licensed commercial bear guide. The indictment alleges that Greenly and his employees guided commercial hunting clients onto the Sandstone National Wildlife Refuge, where he set up bear-baiting stations and hunting stands. In 2005, one of his clients shot and killed two black bear in the refuge, where it's illegal to hunt black bear, the indictment alleges.

Greenly refused to comment Tuesday. A spokesman for Gentry said he couldn't comment.

Minnesota's black bear population is healthy and the state encourages hunting as a way to control it, said DNR spokesman Mark LaBarbara. The department said hunters killed 3,391 bears in 2004.

"But there's no question that the state does not condone shooting a pen-raised bear," LaBarbara said.

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

I've been questioning some of these hunting show's where the hunter is walking along and kills a huge whitetail.How many big bucks will stand there while the hunter and camera man get that close while the deer is looking at them? confused.gif I've spot and stalked mulies and you can tell the legit show's where the hunter is trying to stalk a bedded deer.

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Guest Andrea

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

[ QUOTE ]

Troy is a forum member here too. Last thing I heard he was starting his own TV huntin show.

[/ QUOTE ]

I see a Troy Gentry listed but that ain't him!!!

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Well, I will wait and see what happens and I would LOVE to hear an explanation of this.

If it is as the government says, I hope they lock him up. Chances are, he will get a small fine (proably under $1,000), have to pay restitution, and probably lose his ability to hunt for a year or two. No big deal. That would be like fining me 20 cents.

WHY WHY WHY would anyone, especially someone with the money Troy has, do something like this? Why? It isn't hunting. It isn't sporting. It isn't an accomplishment. It wouldn't be anything but shallowness to look at the mount or rug.

I like their music a lot but if this pans out to be true and he isn't given anything more than a fine, I won't support them any longer. If he does time and truly apologizes, I will think about supporting them again.

Extremely disappointed.

New

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

[ QUOTE ]

Troy is a forum member here too. Last thing I heard he was starting his own TV huntin show.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not the same Troy Gentry Steve. I am going to hold out until I can find out or hear more of this story before making any comments.

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Guest Andrea

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

If the grand jury indicted them, then they had to have felt there was enough evidence to sustain a trial, am I right??

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Generally, you are correct hunting girl.

I would say that very few innocent people are ever indicted by a grand jury unless there was ample evidence. Excepting maybe a good frame up job or mistaken identity, most are guilty and the evidence is clear. Only on LA law are the really and truly innocent railroaded.

Given that he is a superstar, I would expect the jury to give him the benefit of the doubt and the prosecution would expect to encounter the best defense attorneys money can buy. So on the surface, I wonder if it isn't a very strong case.

If guilty, jail time. But it will never happen. It doesn't happen with habitual offenders here in GA....I mean habitual as in caught red handed many times on grotesque violations in both number and severity.

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

I have seen that guy on several hunting shows and I allways got the impression he was well respected. This will hurt that. He has money money money. He could book a good guide and go get one. Makes no sense at all. Money doesn't buy you smarts. I certainly hope, for him, it's not true but sounds like the govt thinks it is

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

[ QUOTE ]

Well, I will wait and see what happens and I would LOVE to hear an explanation of this.

If it is as the government says, I hope they lock him up. Chances are, he will get a small fine (proably under $1,000), have to pay restitution, and probably lose his ability to hunt for a year or two. No big deal. That would be like fining me 20 cents.

WHY WHY WHY would anyone, especially someone with the money Troy has, do something like this? Why? It isn't hunting. It isn't sporting. It isn't an accomplishment. It wouldn't be anything but shallowness to look at the mount or rug.

I like their music a lot but if this pans out to be true and he isn't given anything more than a fine, I won't support them any longer. If he does time and truly apologizes, I will think about supporting them again.

Extremely disappointed.

New

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you 100% New. What a major screw-up on his part if it's true. I know some of you don't like their music, but I do. He should understand that being in the country/southern rock genre that a good portion of his fan base are probably members of the hunting community. Slaps us all in the face - if it's true. Maybe the Dixie Chicks told him to do it. frown.gif

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

Well, I will wait and see what happens and I would LOVE to hear an explanation of this.

If it is as the government says, I hope they lock him up. Chances are, he will get a small fine (proably under $1,000), have to pay restitution, and probably lose his ability to hunt for a year or two. No big deal. That would be like fining me 20 cents.

WHY WHY WHY would anyone, especially someone with the money Troy has, do something like this? Why? It isn't hunting. It isn't sporting. It isn't an accomplishment. It wouldn't be anything but shallowness to look at the mount or rug.

I like their music a lot but if this pans out to be true and he isn't given anything more than a fine, I won't support them any longer. If he does time and truly apologizes, I will think about supporting them again.

Extremely disappointed.

New

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you 100% New. What a major screw-up on his part if it's true. I know some of you don't like their music, but I do. He should understand that being in the country/southern rock genre that a good portion of his fan base are probably members of the hunting community. Slaps us all in the face - if it's true. Maybe the Dixie Chicks told him to do it. frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

The only plausible explanation would be that he was under some sort of time deadline to produce such a kill on video and couldn't fit a real hunt into his schedule. But it seems like it would take more time to arrange such an odd kill like this that by the time he got it done, he could have flown to Canada to hunt. Perhaps he couldn't get a tag to produce the show?

It almost appears as if this show he was starting was the catalyst for whatever he may have done. People get under pressure and they do stupid stuff.

I hope it isn't true but it looks bad. The odd thing is that no one...and I mean NO ONE in the national media is picking up on this story. I googled until my hands fell off and I couldn't even find the link to the story posted here from the local news website.

Odd that PETA hasn't picked up on this one.

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Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Hopefully, whatever his explanation is, I just SO HOPE it isn't the Baghdad Bob explanation like you know who gave us of "What pen. There is no pen. There is no pen in Troy Gentry's video. It was a fair chase hunt. Anyone who says so is just out to get me".

Baghdad Bob....for those who can't remember...was that crazy propagandist for Saddam that was on camera saying how there were no US troops in Baghdad and how if there were, the countrymen would butcher them.......all the while, there are tanks rolling down the streets behind him during the press conference. US tanks, that is. laugh.gif

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P.S. Buckee please don't ban me for the reference above. It was all innocent fun. I am off to Houston to Jimmy the lock on my sister's dog pen that is stuck. Meanwhile, I have shooting pains all over and this job has me so hammed up, I don't think I could escape if I wanted to. There is no room for advancement, every time I try to go anywhere--even a lateral move---I hit these chain link barriers. I tell you, it is shameful! wink.gif

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