VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — A North Texas man is facing up to six months in federal prison for illegally possessing and selling an eastern screech owl in Van Zandt county late last year.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — A North Texas man is facing up to six months in federal prison for illegally possessing and selling an eastern screech owl in Van Zandt county late last year.
Earlier today, 46-year-old Jorge Fernando Mercado pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a migratory bird.
According to information presented in court, Mercado knowingly possessed and sold a live eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) on September 30, 2017, in Van Zandt County. The owl was sold to another individual for $200.
"The Eastern Screech-Owl is a “migratory bird” which is protected by federal statute and international conventions," read a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Texas. "Mercado admitted that he knowingly possessed and sold the owl without a valid permit or authorization."
At sentencing, Mercado faces up to six months in federal prison.
The owl was recovered and rehabilitated by U.S. Fish & Wildlife and has since been released back into the wild.
This case was investigated by Texas Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.