A 58-year-old woman was convicted for stealing a nene gosling from Wailoa State Recreation Area last March and sentenced Tuesday in Hilo Environmental Court.
Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto ordered Mei Qin Chen to pay a $200 fine plus a $55 compensation fee. In a deal with prosecutors, Chen — through a Mandarin language interpreter — entered a no contest plea to a charge of the prohibited taking of a wild bird.
In return for her plea, charges of taking or selling an endangered species and harming wildlife were dropped.
For stealing the nene, Chen could have been sentenced to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The hearing went slowly with Chen, through the interpreter, able to understand some of the routine questions asked by Nakamoto and unable to understand others.
Asked how much schooling she’s had, Chen replied, “not even one day.”
“Are you thinking clearly this morning?” the judge inquired.
“I am sober-minded and I would really like for this to conclude,” Chen answered.
Chen’s desire for the case to conclude was a recurring theme in her replies to Nakamoto’s queries.
Asked to state the factual basis for the case against Chen, Deputy Prosecutor Heipua Ah Loy replied, “On March 23, 2023 … the defendant intentionally and knowingly took and/or caught a wild bird … .”
According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, on March 23, they and police were called by several witnesses who said they saw a woman, later identified as Chen, feeding a nene family by the Wailoa Small Harbor boat ramp.
The DLNR said witnesses reported that Chen used bread to distract the gosling’s parents, grabbed the gosling, and stuffed it into a bag.
The witnesses gave the DLNR and police a description of the woman’s vehicle, including the license plate number.
One couple who witnessed the incident reportedly followed Chen’s vehicle until police pulled her over in Keaau, which led to the DLNR citation. The gosling was found alive in an onion bag, according to the DLNR.
Nene, the Hawaiian goose, is the state bird of Hawaii and is listed by both the National Park Service and the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife as endangered.
In her earlier court appearances, Chen said she wasn’t aware she had done anything wrong and didn’t understand why she was in court. And when given the chance to address the court on Tuesday, Chen declined.
“I think this entire experience has been a nightmare for Ms. Chen and her family,” Chen’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Megan Fellows, told the judge. “… I know the community has been very invested in this case. And from the community’s perspective, I do understand what a big deal it was, frankly, because our community takes certain things very seriously.
“Ms. Chen is not from here. She did not understand the ramifications of her actions, which have a very different meaning here than they do back home. She is deeply remorseful for how her actions have affected our community … and she is very sorry for her actions.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
