ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Video and pictures provided to Alaska State Wildlife Troopers by a group of hunters who claim a Channel 2 News reporter and photographer interfered with their hunt in Katmai National Preserve are not going to result in criminal charges.
Today a wildlife trooper said the video shows the Channel 2 News crew watching the hunt without interfering.
Capt. Burke Waldron said based on the information and evidence provided to the troopers, there is no need to pursue a criminal investigation.
"Everyone has the same right to be there, whether you are video taping, or hunting photographing or just viewing. To interfere with someone's hunt, you have to be making effort to interrupt their lawful hunt -- not just to be pursuing your bear viewing or videoing that you (Channel 2 News) were doing," Waldron said.
In last night's KTUU.com poll we asked viewers if our cameras amounted to interference in the hunt. Fifty two percent of poll respondents said yes, 46 percent said no, and 2 percent were undecided. The poll was unscientific.
Contact Megan Baldino at mbaldino@ktuu.com |
