RANGELEY – Police shot a black bear Saturday night after it ignored attempts to scare it away and charged toward an officer, Chief Philip Weymouth said Monday.
Three bears have been spotted in the area during the last week or two, Weymouth said.
They’ve become nuisances and have been wreaking havoc, hanging around the ice cream shop and getting into people’s garbage, he said.
Witnesses say one of the bears weighs about 400 pounds, he said. Police have been scaring them away and back to the woods, he said.
Police requested a bear trap from the Maine Warden Service a week ago, Weymouth said, and it arrived Saturday night. A warden set it up near the highway garage, which is not downtown, he said.
A bear about 175 pounds came into town Saturday night and an officer again attempted to scare it away, Weymouth said.
Officer Brian Hughes tried but couldn’t chase it away, even after several attempts, he said.
The bear just wouldn’t leave, the chief said. The bear started snarling and hissing, he said, and stamped its feet and charged at the officer.
Hughes shot the bear with his handgun when he was about 5 feet away, and the bear stopped and kept on walking, Weymouth said.
Hughes went and got his shotgun and shot the bear again, he said.
The bear ran off and was found dead Sunday, the chief said.
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