A Warminster man is facing animal cruelty charges after authorities allege that he shot and killed two Canada geese in a business parking lot last month, then took them home and ate them.
On Aug. 27, police responded to a report of a man shooting at the protected birds on the Burpee Seed property in the 400 block of Park Avenue, a highly traveled road. When police arrived the man was gone, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Officers found evidence of a shooting including spent shotgun shell wadding, a shell and 12-gauge birdshot in the parking lot of the business, as well as numerous loose bird feathers. They also observed three Canada geese, one obviously injured.
Canada geese are protected under federal and state laws under the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act. It's illegal to harm, kill, capture, or possess them, or to disturb nests and eggs without a special government permit, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to police, it appeared that the armed suspect was shooting from the parking lot toward Park Avenue, where the nearest occupied home within the trajectory was 400 feet from where the spent shell was located.
The maximum safe distance for 12-gauge birdshot is 110 to 700 feet, according to the affidavit.
A Burpee Seed employee told police he didn’t see the shooting, but recorded the aftermath, including a man carrying away a goose, the affidavit said. The employee reported hearing a single gunshot from outside the building, and saw the suspect stepping into a truck and driving off.
The employee’s cellphone footage alleged corroborated video obtained through security cameras at the business. The business footage didn't capture the suspect shooting at geese, but it showed a man carrying two dead geese by their necks to the truck.
Police identified the suspected shooter as Carmelo Sansalone, 72, who recently lived at an address in Hatboro. He was taken into custody for questioning Sept. 1 after a traffic stop in Horsham.
In a police interview, Sansalone allegedly told police that he was driving by the business when he saw some geese apparently dead on the ground, so he stopped and picked them up, the affidavit said.
Sansalone allegedly told police that he didn’t know what happened to the geese, but that he took them home and ate them.
When police asked him about the gun, he ended the interview, the affidavit said.
Sansalone was arraigned Sept. 15 before District Judge Christopher O’Neill on a felony and misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty and related summaries including multiple counts of unlawful killing of protected birds.
He was released on unsecured bail and he had no legal representation listed as of Sept. 16.
Crime and courts reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Warminster police accuse man, 72, of shooting geese in business lot
