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Former Central Coast Man Enters Guilty Plea To Shooting, Killing Seal

Federal prosecutors say a former Santa Barbara County man has pled guilty to a charge that he intentionally shot, and killed a seal. 

Jordan Gerbich drove to an elephant seal viewing area near San Simeon.  He was there at night.  Prosecutors say Gerbich walked down to the beach with a flashlight, and pistol, where he shot and killed one of the seals.

They are a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The former Santa Maria resident now lives in Utah.  He entered the guilty plea in a videoconference.  Gerbich could face up to a year in prison for the September, 2019 attack when he’s sentenced next April.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.