A parole search resulting in the arrest of a Hollister resident
on a felony drug charge Wednesday also sparked a fish and game
investigation when officers found a severed owl’s head in the man’s
front yard, according to police.
Hollister – A parole search resulting in the arrest of a Hollister resident on a felony drug charge Wednesday also sparked a fish and game investigation when officers found a severed owl’s head in the man’s front yard, according to police.
Samuel Joseph Martin, 48, of 1148 San Benito Street, was arrested by agents with the Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team around 2pm for possession of crystal methamphetamine for sale and felony violation of parole, UNET Commander Mark Colla said.
While agents were searching the home, they also discovered the head of a barn owl in a pot nailed to a tree in the front of the house, and a pair of wings lying on top of a box near the head, Colla said.
Police don’t know why the bird’s body parts were arranged in that manner or where the rest of its body is.
Barn owls are common birds of prey in California and considered a restricted species. Any bird that is not designated as a game bird, such as a pheasant or wild turkey, is illegal to kill, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.
Officers with the Hollister Police Department, who assisted UNET in its parole search, filed a report on the killing and forwarded it to the county’s fish and game office, according to spokesman George Ramirez.
The bird’s remains were confiscated and booked into evidence at the police department, Ramirez said.
Representatives at San Benito County’s Fish and Game Department were unavailable for comment. But Steve Martarano, spokesman for the California Fish and Game Department, said Martin’s possession of the head and wings falls under “possessing the skin of a non-game animal” in the Fish and Game code – a misdemeanor.
Martin is facing up to four years in prison if convicted of the drug charges, but hasn’t been charged by Fish and Game for any crime related to the owl. However, officials say even if Martin didn’t kill the bird himself it is still a crime to dismember it and have it in his possession. A conviction is punishable by a maximum $5,000 fine and a year in county jail, Martarano said.
Barn owls like to nest in tree cavities, boxes or other structures, and prefer large areas of open space, said Rita Carratello, Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society board member. They are often found roosting in the eves of barns, which is where they get their name, she said.
A full-grown bird stands about 14 inches tall and is distinguishable by its large, heart-shaped face, long legs and piercing screech that resembles a human scream and is “quite haunting,” Carratello said.
Carratello said the birds have incredibly sharp, strong talons and could easily pick up a cat if they wanted to. Only a bobcat or a pack of dogs would be able to do the kind of damage done to the bird found on Martin’s property, she said.
The possibility that anything other than a human dismembered the bird is not feasible, said Hollister Code Enforcer Mike Chambless, who was also present at the scene Wednesday.
“It’s not something an animal could do,” he said. “Somebody cut the head off the body of an owl. There’s no mistaking that.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
