Harrisburg, Pa. - Dauphin County prosecutors say they will not pursue criminal charges against a man cited for baiting a black bear.

First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo says the Pennsylvania Game Commission's citation against 49-year-old Daniel Conner is sufficient action.

Conner was cited Monday, first day of Pennsylvania's black bear season, when wildlife conservation officers said they found socks filled with peanut butter and bacon hanging from tree limbs, rotten apples scattered on the ground, and Conner in a camouflage tent with a loaded rifle. The officers had received a tip that someone was baiting a bear on the property of Shade's Nursery, on Colonial Club Drive in Lower Paxton Township.

Mike Doherty, a wildlife conservation officer, says Conner admitted he'd been feeding the bear for weeks to keep it in the area. Doherty had been attempting to trap the bear, which had damaged some bird feeders and knocked over trash cans in Lower Paxton and Susquehanna townships.

Police and the district attorney's office had said that baiting the bear kept it in the area and disrupted the neighborhood.

Conner faces a $375 fine for baiting the bear and for not wearing the required fluorescent orange clothing.

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