Man accused of throwing rock at endangered seal barred from Hawaii beaches - BERITAJA

A man who had been arrested and criminally charged after national authorities said he was caught connected video throwing a rock astatine an endangered monk seal successful Hawaii pleaded not blameworthy Wednesday, and was ordered to enactment distant from Hawaii beaches while the lawsuit proceeds.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced that Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Wash., was charged by criminal title connected Tuesday pinch “harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal by throwing a ample stone astatine the seal’s head, successful usurpation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.”

Lytvynchuk appeared successful U.S. District Court successful Honolulu Wednesday, wherever he pleaded not blameworthy to charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader allowed him to stay free pending the criminal lawsuit but ordered him to enactment distant from beaches and marine wildlife while successful Hawaii, the Associated Press reported.

“You’re not going to the beach, you understand that,” Trader told Lytvynchuk, who responded that he understood.

Lytvynchuk declined to remark aft the hearing.

Before his proceeding connected Wednesday, the defence lawyer for Lytvynchuk said that his customer was trying to protect oversea turtles and has since been physically assaulted, threatened and doxed, according to The Associated Press.

After a witnesser allegedly confronted Lytvynchuk for throwing the rock, his lawyers declare that a man “brutally assaulted” Lytvynchuk, who declined to record a constabulary study connected the assault.

His lawyer Myles Breiner told The Associated Press that his customer had been to Hawaii antecedently and was acquainted pinch oversea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals. Lytvynchuk is simply a fisherman and thought the seal was an fierce oversea lion, the lawyer said.

“So his consequence was not to wounded this monk seal, but to get it distant from the turtles,” Breiner said.

His lawyer claims that since a societal media video surfaced of Lytvynchuk appearing to propulsion the stone astatine the endangered animal, his customer has faced decease threats and doxing.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced that Lytvynchuk has been formally charged pinch “taking” an endangered Hawaiian monk seal by throwing a ample stone astatine the seal’s head, successful usurpation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“Under the statutes, a ‘taking’ includes, among different things, harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, wounding, and sidesplitting a protected species, aliases attempting to do so.  Lytvynchuk was antecedently charged by criminal title connected May 12, 2026 and arrested the pursuing day, adjacent Seattle, Washington by Special Agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“Today’s charges against Igor Lytvynchuk show our intense committedness to not only protect Hawaii’s endangered monk seals, but each of our unsocial and endangered wildlife type from those who illegally harass, injure, aliases effort to return them successful defiance of national law,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Igor Lytvynchuk now stands formally charged for these alleged offenses and will look justness successful national court.”

On May 13, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced that Lytvynchuk was charged by criminal title connected Tuesday pinch “harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal by throwing a ample stone astatine the seal’s head, successful usurpation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.”

Lytvynchuk was arrested connected May 13 adjacent Seattle by typical agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

According to the criminal complaint, Lytvynchuk was “observed and filmed connected May 5, 2026 stepping on the shoreline successful the Lahaina area of Maui search the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal, known arsenic ‘Lani,’ arsenic she playfully pushed a floating log adjacent to the shoreline.”

Lytvynchuk past picked up a ample rock, “took aim, and threw the stone straight astatine Lani’s head,” according to the news release.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii said the stone narrowly missed Lani’s nose, startling her and causing her to rear up retired of the water.

“Witnesses instantly confronted Lytvynchuk and told him they had contacted rule enforcement, to which Lytvynchuk reportedly responded that he was ‘rich capable to salary the fines,’ earlier stepping away,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii added.

According to witnesses, Lani remained mostly immobile for an extended play of clip aft the incident, which caused interest complete her welfare.

“The unsocial and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s typical spot successful the world and its unthinkable biodiversity. We are committed to protecting our susceptible chaotic species, successful peculiar endangered Hawaiian monk seals, for illustration Lani,” Sorenson said. “We promise that those who harass and effort to harm our protected wildlife will look accelerated accountability successful national court.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service – Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case.

On May 6, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said it was investigating social media posts that appeared to show Lytvynchuk throwing an entity toward a monk seal.

“When the serviceman arrived astatine the scene, the serviceman contacted a 37-year-old big antheral from Seattle, Washington, who matched the explanation of the suspect. The antheral was detained, identified and advised of his ineligible rights. The antheral declined to make a connection and invoked his ineligible authorities by requesting counsel of an attorney,” the DLNR said successful a news release.

Hawaiian monk seals are protected nether the national Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, arsenic good arsenic Hawaiian authorities law. It is 1 of the about endangered seal type successful the world, pinch an estimated organization of about 1,600, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It is forbidden to disturb, harass, provender aliases different harm a monk seal. Violations whitethorn consequence successful fines aliases criminal penalties.

—with files from Global’s Sean Boynton and The Associated Press