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Altadena Homeowner Threatens Lawsuit as 550-Pound Bear Keeps Den in Crawlspace

The wildlife agency says it remains involved through trapping, monitoring, hazing.

Overview

  • The bear has occupied Kenneth Johnson’s crawlspace for about a month, with fresh sightings around Christmas and continuing noise and damage captured on his cameras.
  • Johnson says he will sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for negligence and emotional distress, alleging officials told him they would no longer remove the animal.
  • CDFW counters that staff remain engaged, citing traps, remote cameras and lights, and repeated hazing attempts, while urging the crawlspace be secured when the bear departs.
  • An earlier trapping effort captured a different bear on Dec. 16, and officials and local reports identify the target animal as a previously tagged bruin known as Yellow 2120 that had been relocated roughly 10 miles away.
  • Johnson shut off his gas on Christmas Eve after a pipe was damaged, has gone without hot water, and says he worries about potential legal risks if he tries to force the protected animal out himself.