Police: Duo poached mallards at Ellis Lake

Police captured a pair of not-so-mighty hunters on Friday for poaching ducks at Ellis Lake, the Marysville Police Department reported.

Cole Younger Anderson and a 17-year-old boy, both from Palermo, were detained around 6 a.m. after killing four Mallard ducks with a slingshot and an air rifle near Appeal-Democrat Park, Sgt. Chris Sachs said.

"I've never heard of anyone duck hunting at Ellis Lake before," Sachs said.

Anderson, 20, was booked into the Yuba County Jail on suspicion of unlawfully taking game birds in a public park, violating shooting hours, illegal possession of a creature, possession of an unplugged rifle, and discharging an air gun within city limits.

Anderson was released a short time later. He is scheduled to appear Feb. 26 for arraignment in Yuba County Superior Court.

The teenager was questioned and released to a guardian, police said.

Officers were called to the lake near C Street, just north of 14th Street regarding two suspicious subjects.

Anderson and the teenager were quickly identified as the suspected poachers, police said.

"It's unlawful to hunt within city limits and (Ellis Lake) is designated as a public park," Sachs explained.

Police turned the case over to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Mark Michilizzi, a state Fish and Wildlife spokesman, said the birds taken Friday appeared to be wild game, but said Anderson violated a series of codes and laws.

"There's nothing legal about any of this," Michilizzi said.

Poaching is a year-round problem for wildlife law enforcement, though generally not within neighborhoods. Earlier this month, more than a dozen people were stopped in Sutter County on suspicion of poaching more than 100 snow geese. No charges or citations have been filed in that case, authorities confirmed Friday.

CONTACT Rob Parsons at rparsons@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4785. Find him on Facebook at /ADcrimebeat or on Twitter at @ADcrimebeat.