Overview
- Video and witness accounts show 71-year-old Randall Lee Bertsch removing ducklings from a community pool on May 13, grabbing several, beating them with a blue recycling bin, and discarding at least one dead duckling.
- The Orange County District Attorney filed two felony animal cruelty counts, three felony attempted-cruelty counts, one misdemeanor harassment count, and five felony weapon enhancements tied to use of the trash bin.
- If convicted on all counts Bertsch faces up to seven years and six months in jail according to prosecutors handling the Animal Cruelty Unit.
- Bertsch was arrested May 13, posted $20,000 bail, and after the charges prosecutors obtained a judge-approved request raising bail that resulted in a current $50,000 arrest warrant.
- The DA emphasized federal protections for migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and said the case, built on clear video evidence, could stiffen enforcement and sentencing in deliberate wildlife abuse cases.