Reseda Man Hunted in Poaching of 22 Birds

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Reseda construction worker after state Fish and Game investigators found the carcasses of 22 state-protected birds in his apartment, authorities said.

The warrant, issued Thursday by the city attorney’s office, charges Warren P. Richardson with 21 counts of possession of a protected non-game bird and one count of possession of a rare or endangered bird, Deputy City Attorney John Rocke said.

He said the non-game birds included a great horned owl, a blue heron, curlews and sandpipers and the rare or endangered bird was a white-tailed kite. All counts are misdemeanors.

Rocke said Richardson’s attorney contacted him Friday and arrangements were being made for Richardson to turn himself in.

Fish and Game Warden Warren F. Crooker confiscated the birds--all stuffed and mounted except for four or five found in freezers--during a Dec. 27 search of Richardson’s apartment, Rocke said.

The game warden obtained a warrant to search the apartment based on an informant’s tip that Richardson had up to 70 stuffed or mounted birds, Rocke said. According to the informant, Richardson shot the birds in the Sepulveda Basin. Rocke said Richardson was not home at the time of the search and has not been found at the apartment since.

If convicted, Richardson could receive a maximum sentence of 11 years in jail and a $23,000 fine, Rocke said.