Immigrant Charged With Bear Poaching

A grand jury on Thursday indicted a Ukrainian immigrant of poaching bears in northeastern Washington.

Nikolay Senchenko, 45, is charged with using snares to illegally kill bears so he could sell their body parts.

If convicted of the federal felony charge, Senchenko faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Senchenko, 11319 E. Grace, pleaded not guilty in an arraignment Thursday before Magistrate Cynthia Imbrogno. A trial date was not set.

State and federal wildlife agents contend Senchenko snared at least five bears in the last two years.

Senchenko, who became a U.S. citizen in March, had parts of two bears in his Isuzu Trooper when arrested near one of the snares, agents said. They found other bear parts, including gallbladders, claws and teeth, in his home.

Agents have found three of the powerful snares since 1993, and worry more may remain in remote areas of Pend Oreille County. They ask anyone who finds one to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (509) 928-6050 or the poaching hotline at (800) 47-POACH.

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