Sechrist Lake swan. (Photo provided)

While the investigation into the alleged beating deaths of two mute swans on Sechrist Lake is said to be still incomplete, an email received from a representative of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources indicates the matter is being put to rest.

DNR Public Relations Officer Lt. William Browne told StaceyPageOnline.com late Wednesday afternoon that the investigation was not yet complete therefore no case report has been finalized.

Shelley Reeves is an executive assistant and Constituent Services representative for the DNR. She responded via email to one of many local residents who complained about the matter, noting, “Two Indiana Conservation Officers were assigned to investigate the complaint. With regards to the complaint and allegations made in this situation, the finding of the investigation was that no conclusive evidence was found to support the allegation that any mute swans were beaten. The swans were shot with pellet guns. This case remains under investigation at this time.”

Sechrist Lake residents Jack and Rhonda Doyle said they observed three men on a pontoon killing a pair of mute swans on March 30. One of the men, identified as George Hiatt, admitted to the killings. (See related story)

Hiatt is listed as an assistant on a permit that was issued to Chuck Brinkman of Zionsville. Both Brinkman and Hiatt are seasonal residents on the Barbee Chain of Lakes and are board members of the Barbee Lakes Property Owners Association. The third man, who has not been identified by the DNR, is believed to also be a member of the BLPOA board.

The permit was issued on Jan. 1 and gives only Brinkman and Hiatt – in the presence of Brinkman – the authority to “take” nuisance mute swans as they are defined as a “species of wild animals that are causing or threatening to cause damage to property or posing a health or safety threat to persons or domestic animals.”

The Doyles insist they are not opposed to population control of the mute swans, but they remain adamant that the swans were not taken humanely. (See related story)

The Doyles said they saw the men shoot the male swan with a pellet gun, use a kayak to row out and rope the bird and drag its still fighting body to the boat, and mercilessly beat it to death with a boat oar. “We yelled at them but they ignored us,” said Rhonda.

Lt. Browne said Hiatt and the two other men, who have not yet been named by the DNR, provided statements to the investigating officers saying the swans each died from being struck by the pellet gun. Indiana law, however, requires the birds to be destroyed within 48 hours of the killing. The officers interviewed the men three days after the birds were killed.

Still, the preliminary investigation findings, according to Lt. Browne, was that, “There is no evidence that blunt force trauma was used.” He explained that the Doyles provided statements saying the did not see the oar strike either of the swans directly as their vision was obscured by the pontoon the men were on.

In Indiana, acceptable use of weapons for taking nuisance animals is found under 312 Indiana Administration Code Section 8-1.5-8 which defines weapons as a firearm, an air gun, a CO2 gun, a spear gun, a bow and arrows, a crossbow, and “a similar mechanical device that can be discharged and is capable of causing injury or death to a person or an animal or damage to property.”

Indiana also recognizes mute swans as an invasive species introduced to the United States from Europe. In her email Reeves wrote, “They have become an issue here and in other states because of their ever-expanding population, the damage they do to native ecosystems, and their aggressive behavior toward other wildlife, pets, and humans. The nuisance wild animal control permit can allow for the taking of native and non-native mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, including mute swans.”

The Doyles and a growing number of other Barbee Chain of Lakes residents plan to attend the upcoming meeting of the Barbee Lake Property Owners Association. The meeting is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, April 20.

For more information about mute swans go to the DNR website.

See related stories:
Brutal Swan Killings Spark Public Outrage
DNR Protocol On Swan Killings Uncertain
DNR: ‘No Violations’ In Swan Killings