BATON ROUGE — Two men were cited by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for killing a black bear  last year in St. Mary Parish. 

Agents cited Cody Charpentier, 31, of Glencoe, and Bailey Rogers, 21, of Youngsville, for taking and/or possessing a black bear during a closed season and intentional concealment of wildlife. 

According to a statement from LDWF, agents received a tip that Charpentier had shot and killed a Louisiana black bear on Nov. 12, 2017. Charpentier and Rogers then reportedly moved the bear  last year from the kill six miles from where it was killed to a field off Louisiana 83 near Glencoe. 

On April 30, agents acquired a search warrant for Charpentier’s residence, handheld global positioning system and cell phone. Agents were able to use the cell phone and GPS to track where Charpentier was on the night of Nov. 12. Agents also seized Charpentiers’s 7-mm rifle in connection to the case. 

Taking or possessing a black bear during a closed season and intentional concealment of wildlife each brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. The men also face up to $10,000 in civil restitution for the replacement value of the illegally taken bear.

The bear in this case is not tied to the other two illegally killed black bears that were found earlier this year in St. Mary Parish. Agents are looking for leads for the killing of two black bears that were found on Feb. 14 off Humble Canal 10 miles south of Franklin. If anyone has information about these two bears, call the Louisiana Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-442-2511 to qualify for up to a $5,500 reward.