Santa Maria man charged with shooting, killing elephant seal near San Simeon
A Santa Maria man has been charged with killing a northern elephant seal nearly a year after the marine mammal was found shot dead on a beach near San Simeon.
Jordan Gerbich, 30, was charged Tuesday in connection to the female elephant seal’s death, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
The animal’s carcass was found Sept. 28, 2019, on the beach in northern San Luis Obispo County, according to a Department of Justice news release.
The deceased seal had been shot in the head and dismembered with its tail fins cut off and chest cavity cut open.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement investigated the shooting, with the help of California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to the Department of Justice.
After a field examination, it was determined that the elephant seal had been shot and some organs were removed, which may have been a result of scavengers, NOAA told The Tribune in January.
In January, the NOAA offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information on the case.
NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein wrote in an email that “the reward (The Tribune) helped highlight made a difference.”
Beaches near San Simeon are known to be the on-shore site of elephant seals. The protected area has allowed for the marine mammals to come back from the brink of extinction.
Elephant seals were hunted commercially around 1900, leading to a steep decline in population.
Now the animals are protected under the federal Marine Mammals Protection Act.
The penalty for hunting, capturing or killing an animal covered by the Marine Mammals Protection Act is up to $28,520 in fines and a year in prison.
According to the Department of Justice, if Gerbich is convicted for the misdemeanor, he could face a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison.
Assistant United States attorney Heather Gorman of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section is the prosecutor of the case, according to the Department of Justice.
A federal court date is pending, according to a spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Santa Maria man has history of criminal charges
Gerbich has a history of criminal charges, Noozhawk reported.
Most recently, Gerbich faced a felony charge and a misdemeanor charge in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for possessing a destructive device three years ago.
Santa Maria police announced in November 2017 that they had arrested Gerbich in connection with a homemade explosive device detonated behind a business four months earlier.
At the time, county firefighters were battling the Alamo Fire east of Santa Maria and the Whittier Fire off Highway 154.
Under a deal in early 2018, Gerbich pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possessing a destructive device, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail plus three years informal probation.
He served four days in jail plus received five days for good time/work time credits and was allowed to apply for an out-of-custody program.
Gerbich’s informal probation in that case extends until Feb. 1, 2021.
To report a dead, injured, or stranded marine mammal, call the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 866-767-6114.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 4:45 PM.
