Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Ducks

A Camarillo man pleaded guilty Thursday to a single charge of animal cruelty in a bizarre hunt that left three ducks dead of injuries suffered in a crossbow attack.

James Carl Brown, 21, will be sentenced this afternoon in Ventura County Municipal Court on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The telephone company technician was arrested by Port Hueneme police July 11 after they found duck feathers, crossbows and a cache of more than 20 semiautomatic firearms at his Camarillo apartment. The weapons were not illegal to possess, according to police.

Animal regulation officials found the gravely injured ducks nearly two weeks ago. A police officer remembered later that a motorist he had cited on the day of the shootings had a crossbow in his back seat, and investigators obtained a search warrant for his Camarillo apartment. Police found the gun collection, militia-style propaganda and a hand-scrawled threat to President Clinton that investigators declined to describe.

Relatives later said Brown had drawn a target on a photograph of the president in a newspaper. They also played down the literature, saying that Brown had rejected the militia philosophy after showing initial interest.

The Secret Service participated in the investigation, but no federal charges were filed. Brown met with Ventura County probation officers after his court appearance Thursday.