Man arrested, accused of illegally killing 3 bears in Colorado

DENVER (KDVR) — A Howard man was arrested and accused of illegally killing three bears, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

On Sept. 29, CPW officers found three bears — a sow (adult female) and two cubs — that had been killed and dumped southeast of Salida.

CPW Officers had been responding to several anonymous tips and reports on social media about an alleged poaching incident.

An investigation led the officers to obtain a search warrant on Saturday for a home near Howard.

Officers found evidence that the bears had been shot and killed there on Monday, Sept. 25, CPW said.

Paul Stromberg, 52, was taken into custody on a number of charges, including one count of illegal destruction of wildlife, a felony. Misdemeanor charges include three counts of willful destruction of wildlife, three counts of unlawfully hunting black bear, three counts of unlawful possession of wildlife and three counts of wasting edible portions of game meat.

He was taken to Fremont County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond.

Anyone with information about this particular incident can contact CPW’s Salida office at 719-530-5520.

The public can also anonymously contact Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648 about other wildlife violations.