Pot bears
CBC News
Last Updated: May 24, 2012
Allan Piche feeds two bears a bucket load of dog food on his rural property in this video posted on Vimeo. (CBC)
A B.C. man has been fined $6,000, but won't face jail time, for feeding dozens of black bears that RCMP alleged he was using to guard a marijuana grow operation.
Allan Piche, 66, of Christina Lake, made headlines around the world in August 2010 when police leveled the allegations against him.
Piche has denied those allegations, but he freely admits to feeding the bears $200 worth of dog food a week, for more than a decade.
He was fined Thursday by Judge Ronald Fabbro at a sentencing hearing in Grand Forks, B.C.
Piche kept the more than two dozen black bears almost like pets, giving many of them names and at times, allowing them inside his remote mountainside home.
Conservation officers charged Piche with feeding dangerous wildlife in November 2010.
They said the bears were a danger to Piche, as well as the people of Christina Lake, and pushed for him to serve jail time.
At Thursday's hearing, Fabbro called Piche's actions "foolish" and "a flight of fancy."
Fabbro said there was no doubt Piche's actions were harmful to the bears and potentially people, but didn't think jail time was necessary, instead opting for a $6,000 fine.
Piche still faces charges for allegedly producing and possessing marijuana.
Fabbro said there was no doubt Piche's actions were harmful to the bears and potentially people, but didn't think jail time was necessary, instead opting for a $6,000 fine.
Piche still faces charges for allegedly producing and possessing marijuana.
