Montana man accused of killing 3,600 birds – some of them bald eagles

An arrest warrant was issued for Simon Paul after he failed to show in court on charges including unlawful trafficking of eagles

A federal judge issued an arrest warrant Monday for a Montana man who failed to show up for an initial court appearance on charges of killing thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles. A second defendant pleaded not guilty.

The two men, working with others, killed about 3,600 birds on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere over a six-year period beginning in 2015, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed last month. The defendants also were accused of selling eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for US wildlife officials.