BIRMINGHAM – U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon today sentenced Randall T. Boothe, 47, of Pickens County, to three years probation and fined him $2,000 for baiting waterfowl, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance.

Judge Kallon ordered Boothe to complete 20 hours of community service and ordered him to refrain from hunting while on probation.

Boothe pleaded guilty March 1 to one count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal wildlife statute which protects migratory birds and regulates the hunting of migratory game birds. Boothe was charged for placing bait for the purpose of luring ducks and causing four juveniles to hunt ducks over the baited area.

According to court records, in the weeks prior to the 2009 - 2010 waterfowl season, Boothe placed corn in an area of flooded timber on his hunting lease in Pickens County to attract ducks and other wildlife to the area. On Dec. 26, 2009, an agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and officers with the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries caught four juveniles hunting wood ducks over the baited area.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius prosecuted the case.
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