NFL safety Rodney Thomas made headlines recently after his father, Rodney Thomas Sr. is facing legal trouble as he shot and killed the United States official symbol, the bald eagle.
Thomas Sr is being accused of shooting a bald eagle to death in Pittsburgh while he was in a suburb in May.
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The bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act has strict rules
The eagle killer who was born in Canonsburg PA was indicted by a Pittsburgh federal grand jury for having violated the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act which “prohibits anyone, without a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior, from “taking” bald or golden eagles, including their parts (including feathers), nests, or eggs.”
At the same time, the “Act provides criminal penalties for persons who “take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle, alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest, or egg thereof.“
Thomas surrendered himself to the authorities after having shot the bald eagle with an air rifle in Mount Pleasant PA, the authorities did not disclose any information regarding the names or chargers of the responsible party while the residents from Mount Pleasant were angry at the authorities for not acting swiftly.
According to the Post, the eagle in question had lived there for almost two years, and was named Sam after the Muppets character.
Meanwhile, Thomas was released by paying $10,000 for bail and it’s estimated that he will have to pay $5000 in fines and may spend a year in jail, meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts did not want to comment on the situation.
On the matter, Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan said that “This office remains committed to investigating and prosecuting environmental and wildlife offenses under federal law, including the unlawful killing of bald eagles – the United States’ national bird since 1782,”
