Trial set in wolf killing

SANDPOINT — A jury trial is pending for a Bonner County man who shot a gray wolf that he perceived as a threat in his neighborhood south of Priest Lake.

The state and defense attorneys advised Judge Debra Heise during a pretrial hearing on Friday that there is no resolution in Russell Glen Frachisuer’s case, court records show. A misdemeanor trial is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2010.

Frachiseur, 50, is charged with killing big game during a closed season. The shooting happened about four months before Idaho’s controversial wolf hunt opened.

Frachiseur’s defense counsel has entered a plea of not guilty.

Frachiseur told Idaho Department of Fish & Game officers he shot the wolf outside his Squaw Valley home on June 12 to protect his dogs, in addition to his neighbors’ children and their animals. He reported his actions to Fish & Game.

Deputy Prosecutor Valerie Fenton made a settlement offer proposing a suspended jail term, a fine and civil penalty, and a hunting license suspension. That offer, however, was set to expire at Friday’s pretrial conference.