Cops: Man Shot Bear Who Broke Into Home

A California man will not face criminal charges for shooting a hairy intruder who allegedly attacked him inside his home, police say. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office says a man in Meyers told them Thursday night that he had shot a bear who broke into his home and the animal had fled, ABC reports. Deputies in the Lake Tahoe-area community were unable to find the bear, but they notified California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials, who located and euthanized the badly wounded animal the next day. "An investigation has determined that no criminal activity had occurred," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Residents say there has been a big rise in bear sightings, which they blame on out-of-towners failing to take precautions. "A lot of people who don't live here don't realize that they have to keep the trash safe, the doors locked, and not feed these guys," resident Tyler Bradford tells KGO. Local bear advocate Toogee Sielsch tells South Tahoe Now that it is now common to see bears walking through neighborhoods and she has witnessed a mother bear teaching its cubs to try opening doors and windows. She says the "breaking and entering bears" tend to return to homes where they have obtained food in the past. (More bear attack stories.)