Ohio man sentenced for osprey’s slaying

If you feel sorry for the turkey this week, know that the manner of demise of the tom on your dining table pales in comparison to that of an osprey that crossed paths with an Athens County man.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Rick Kesterson, 37, of Glouster, was sentenced to two years’ probation in federal court Nov. 7 for killing the osprey in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

According to two birdwatchers, the osprey’s plight didn’t end when they witnessed Kesterson blasting it out of the sky with a shotgun on April 28, 2015, from Catfish Island, where his family lives and operates a pay-tofish business.

Kesterson used a fishing line to drag the wounded bird to shore, where he “bludgeoned the bird to death,” prosecutors said. The defense argued that killing the bird was the humane thing to do after shooting it.

Ohio Division of Wildlife investigators found the dead bird and went to the Kesterson home, where they found Rick Kesterson hiding in his basement bedroom.

They also found marijuana in a wood-burning stove where he had tried to dispose of it, as well as several live marijuana plants.

While on probation, he must pay $500 in restitution to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, forfeit his hunting license, complete 52 hours of community service at Burr Oak State Park and be subject to random house inspections and drug testing.