Federal Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch went beyond the recommendations of prosecutors on Monday and sentenced a Washington man to six months in federal prison for killing a grizzly bear in Lincoln County in 2015.

Shalako Katzer, 26, of Mead, Washington, also will have to pay a $5,000 fine.

Montana U.S. District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Melissa Hornbein said prosecutors could not recall another time when a violation of the Endangered Species Act had resulted in prison time. Prosecutors had recommended one year probation in the case, which was resolved via plea agreement.

“It was somewhat unprecedented,” Hornbein said Thursday. “We thought it was significant that Judge Lynch issued the sentence.”

According to court documents, Katzer was camping May 22, 2015, with his family at Yaak Falls Campground. Katzer and his brother were told that a grizzly bear was headed toward the campground. A few minutes later Katzer and his brother saw the bear, retrieved guns and fired two rounds near the bear.

The bear retreated, but Katzer and his brother pursued it. They confronted the bear near the Yaak River and it retreated near Yaak River Road. The brothers followed the bear down the road and Katzer fired at the bear with a .45 pistol.

An investigator found that the .45 caliber bullet that killed the bear came from Katzer’s gun.

“This sentence sends a message to would-be grizzly killers,” U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter said in a press release. “It tells them that the Department of Justice takes enforcement of federal wildlife protection laws seriously and that individuals who seek to harass and kill these protected animals, not out of self-defense, but apparently for sport, will pay the consequences.”

Steve Oberholtzer, special agent in charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Katzer’s behavior was inappropriate.

“Grizzly bears can obviously pose a safety risk to humans, but that risk can be diminished or eliminated through proper precautions and appropriate behavior,” Oberholtzer said. “During this incident, Mr. Katzer did not display appropriate behavior and the result was the unlawful killing of a threatened species.”

Hornbein said Lynch’s decision to issue a prison sentence in the case leaves much up in the air for an upcoming sentencing of a Ronan man.

On May 19, Lynch found Brian F. Charette, 42, of Ronan guilty of unlawful taking of a threatened species for shooting a grizzly bear on May 11, 2014. Charette claimed that the bear had been chasing his horses. Charette knew the bear was a grizzly and did not have a permit to take it. Sentencing will be set for a later date.

Last year, Dan Wallen, 34, of Bigfork was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution for killing three grizzly bears near Ferndale.

“A lot of it is really at the discretion of the judge,” Hornbein said. “It will be interesting to see what happens in this next case where the individual was convicted.”

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].