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DOVER, Ohio (WJW) — A Dover man must pay $20,000 in fines and restitution after shooting and killing a bald eagle.

David B. Huff, 79, pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

According to court documents, Huff shot and killed a bald eagle with a rifle on Oct. 7, 2021.

Court documents state he owns farmland and several fields in Tuscarawas County and routinely inspects the land for the presence of pests and rodents. He killed the eagle during one of the inspections.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 prohibits anyone, without a permit, from, among other actions, shooting bald or golden eagles.

After the shooting, Huff picked up the animal and discarded it in the tree line of a bordering field.

As part of the terms of his guilty plea, Huff agreed to make restitution to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in care of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $10,000. He must pay an additional fine of $10,000.

He also agreed to a five-year prohibition from hunting and the destruction of the rifle and ammunition seized during the investigation.

He will be sentenced Oct. 11, 2022.