Colorado man who pleaded guilty to bear poaching receives fines, deferred sentence
DENVER (KDVR) — A Fremont County man who pleaded guilty to killing a mother bear and her two cubs before sawing off their heads and paws was sentenced on Monday, according to court documents.
Paul Stromberg, 53, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Jan. 8 to one felony count of willful destruction of wildlife and a misdemeanor offense of failure to properly dress wildlife.
Stromberg was originally arrested on Sept. 30, 2023, on 10 charges, including taking a black bear out of season and illegal possession of wildlife, both misdemeanors.
Stromberg was sentenced to a two-year deferred sentence in the Department of Corrections and was fined $19,000. In addition, Stromberg must pay $750 in restitution to the Colorado Division of Wildlife and donate $1,000 to Operation Game Thief, a program operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife that pays rewards to citizens who turn in poachers.
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According to an arrest affidavit issued in the case, the bears’ carcasses were found disposed of in the Sand Gulch area, while the claws, skull and teeth, which are traditionally trophy parts, were retained.
“Each of the three bears the Wildlife Officers found and investigated had these trophy parts removed and the carcasses abandoned,” the affidavit stated. “Colorado Law makes it illegal to hunt or take wildlife and detach or remove, hide, claws, teeth, etc. with the intent to abandon the carcass or body.”
According to the affidavit, an anonymous informant who spoke to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers said that Stromberg “talked about the bears falling out of a tree when he shot them and said it was ‘epic’ when the bears fell out of the tree.” The informant also said the bears allegedly killed chickens on Stromberg’s property, so Stromberg “‘took out her whole (expletive) family.’”
The deferred sentence for the felony charge means that if Stromberg completes his probation successfully, his felony charge will be expunged although not sealed. That means Stromberg’s next court date is in 2026 for a review of his deferred judgment.
Stromberg’s attorney, Ryan Drengler, said in a prior court hearing that Stromberg had become the target of death threats ever since his arrest made national news.
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