West Branch, CR man among those charged with shooting trumpoeter swan near Nichols

Lang
11/20/19

Residents of West Branch and Cedar Rapids are among three men accused of being involved in the shooting of a trumpeter swan east of Nichols.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, DNR Conservation Officers received a tip on Sunday that a trumpeter swan had been shot at Cedar Bottoms Wildlife Management Area in Muscatine County.

All of the suspects had already left the area when the conservation officers arrived. Evidence collected at the scene indicated a possible suspect.

Investigators say when officers interviewed the suspects, all three men confessed to illegally taking the trumpeter swan and mistaking it for a snow goose.

The three men are identified as 27-year-old Austin McMillan of West Branch, 26-year-old Daniel Solorio-Oldenburg of Cedar Rapids and 28-year-old Mitchell Kesterson of Van Horne. Each man is charged with one count of Attempt to Take Wildlife and one count of Abandonment of Wildlife.
The swan has been seized and will be preserved and displayed for educational and informational outreach purposes.

In its news release, the DNR reminded hunters of the importance of properly identifying targets before taking a shot.