United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Flasher, North Dakota, man has been charged by information for Unlawful Taking of Bald Eagle, Unlawful Taking of Migratory Birds, and Unlawful Use of Restricted Use Pesticide.
David Alan Meyer, age 58, was charged on Jan. 16, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes on Jan. 30, 2020, and pled guilty to the Information.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 1 year in federal prison, a $100,000 fine, 1 year of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may be ordered.
In March and April 2016, a joint U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environmental Protection Agency investigation revealed that David Meyer, owner of Meyer Buffalo Ranch on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, had supervised the misapplication of 39,000 pounds of Rozol prairie dog bait, a restricted use pesticide, on over 5,400 acres of his property.
Over a dozen workers were interviewed and confirmed they were supposed to put the poison in the holes, but due to the high demand on the amount of poison that needed to be dispensed and the large land tract, workers got sloppy and the poison was not dispensed as required by the label. Because of the misapplication, the EPA emergency response team was dispatched to oversee the cleanup of the ranch land by Meyer. During the course of the investigation six bald eagles were recovered and confirmed to have died as a result of the poison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case. Meyer was released on bond pending sentencing, scheduled for April 2, 2020.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
