Sunriver-area man pleads guilty to killing beloved swan

(Update: Correcting age)

A south Deschutes County man accused of fatally shooting a beloved trumpeter swan near Sunriver last Thanksgiving has pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking the bird.

Court records show Jordan Dupuis, 22, entered the guilty plea to a wildlife violation Monday in Deschutes County Circuit Court. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 22.

The swan named Chuck had been placed at Lake Aspen as part of a breeding program to reintroduce trumpeter swans in the area. He was found injured on the Deschutes River and had to be euthanized.

Under the terms of the plea deal, recommended by the lawyers for both sides, Dupuis is expected to spend two days in jail and two years on probation.

He must also perform 80 hours of community service and forfeit the seized firearm used in Chuck’s killing. Moreover, the deal calls for him to be barred from hunting for three years, pay $3,000 in restitution to the Trumpeter Swan Society and a $1,000 fine to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.