Ridgefield Officer Will Not Be Charged In 'Bobbi' Bear Shooting: DEEP

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The off-duty Ridgefield police officer who fatally shot a bear outside his home in Newtown will not be charged, state officials said Friday.

Investigators for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.

"The investigation determined that the homeowner had numerous encounters with the same bear over multiple days that caused him to fear for the safety of his family, for himself, and for his livestock," the agency said in a news release Friday.

The bear, known to locals as "Bobbi," was a popular visitor in neighborhoods around Newtown, Redding and Bethel. Alternately known as "#217" due to the DEEP ID tag on her ear, she was the topic of a local Facebook group.

The state wildlife officials determined the bear had "lost its fear of humans and had learned to associate humans with sources of food," according to the statement. According to their analysis, the bear had become “habituated” and "food-conditioned" following more than 175 documented human interactions since her 2017 capture, tagging and release, in Waterbury.

Based on its behavior and frequent interactions with humans, the animal was considered a "habituated" and "food-conditioned" bear, according to DEEP.

"Habituated bears that find a food 'reward' such as a bird feeder, garbage can, or any other human-associated food quickly become food-conditioned and pose a greater risk to public safety and often cause damage to houses, cars, pets, and livestock," the agency advised in the statement.

The homeowner, Lawrence Clarke, is an officer with the Ridgefield Police Department. He was placed on administrative leave shortly after the shooting on May 12, but has since been reinstated.

Connecticut has banned the killing of bears, except in self-defense when someone believes the animal is going to kill or seriously injure a person.

Shortly after the shooting, the bear's two four-and-a-half month old cubs were found by DEEP workers, who then relocated them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility in Lyme, New Hampshire.