Accused Monk Seal Rock Thrower Pleads Not Guilty
Prosecutors say video showed the tourist hurling a rock at a critically endangered seal, which can carry fines of up to $70,000 if convicted.
- On Wednesday, Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Honolulu to federal charges of harassing an endangered Hawaiian monk seal during a May 5 incident in Lahaina, Maui.
- Video evidence shows Lytvynchuk throwing a coconut-sized rock at adult male monk seal R404, violating the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act; only about 1,600 of these critically endangered animals remain in the wild.
- Defense attorney Myles Breiner claimed Lytvynchuk mistook the seal for 'an aggressive sea lion' and was trying to protect sea turtles, contradicting prosecutors' video evidence showing him targeting the animal directly.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader released Lytvynchuk on a $25,000 bond but ordered him to stay away from Hawaiian beaches and wildlife while in Hawaii; animal advocates protested inside and outside the courtroom.
- Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each charge and fines totaling up to $70,000 if convicted, with his next court appearance scheduled for June 9; he may appear remotely from Washington.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
West Hawaii TodayVisitor accused of hurling rock at monk seal pleads not guilty
A 38-year-old Washington man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two federal misdemeanors after he allegedly threw a large rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal in Lahaina on May 5. The post Visitor accused of hurling rock at monk seal pleads not guilty appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
WA tourist pleads not guilty in Hawaiian monk seal rock case, barred from Hawaii beaches
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Visitor accused of hurling rock at monk seal pleads not guilty | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
A 38-year-old Washington man pleaded not guilty today to two federal misdemeanors after he allegedly threw a large rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal in Lahaina on May 5.
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