Second man arrested in killing of bald eagle in northeast Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A second man has been arrested in the killing of a bald eagle last year in northeast Nebraska.

Ramiro Hernandez Tziquin, a Guatemalan native, was found last month hiding from authorities using a fake identity, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

He has since entered a guilty plea in federal court, and a sentencing for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is scheduled for October.

The sheriff’s office said Hernandez Tziquin and Domingo Zetino Hernandez shot and killed a bald eagle at the Wood Duck State Wildlife Management Area on Feb. 28, 2023.

Deputies found the dead bald eagle in the trunk of their vehicle, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  The men told deputies they planned to cook and eat the bird, the sheriff’s office said.

Zetino Hernandez was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, but Hernandez Tziquin went on the lam for over a year.

Last November, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson sentenced Zetino Hernandez.  He has since been deported to Guatemala, the sheriff’s office said.

Hernandez-Tziquin also faces “jail time and probable deportation” at his sentencing.

The case garnered national attention.

Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska called on the Biden administration to get involved, saying the men were in the country illegally.