Support Troy Gentry & Montgomery

First off, let me explain the situation for those who may not know. Troy Gentry is a country music singer who is half of the duo, Montgomery Gentry. Earlier last year, he was charged for falsley tagging a hunt. Read the article below to get a better idea, with this question in mind: If some random, average person down the street committed the same false act as Troy, would you care, or is the only reason people are making a big deal out of this because he is a famous singer?

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From GACtv.com:

November 27, 2006--The Duluth News Tribune reports that this morning, Montgomery Gentry's Troy Gentry admitted that he shot and killed a domesticated black bear in a 3-acre penned area and not in the wild, as he had claimed when he registered the animal with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Troy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Duluth to the misdemeanor crime of making a false label. The crime is punishable by a maximum penalty of one year in prison, five years’ probation and a $100,000 fine.

Troy, 39, of Franklin, Tenn., had been scheduled to stand trial starting today but reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He agreed to pay a $15,000 fine and forfeit the mounted bear, the bow he used to kill the bear, and all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Minnesota for five years.

Troy, wearing glasses, a dark suit and tie, politely answered the questions of U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dees.

He admitted that he set up a hunting stand in a 3-acre pen that was surrounded by an electric fence. Dees told the court that Troy had registered the bear as being shot in the wild six miles east of town.

"You know that is incorrect?" Dees asked Troy.

"Yes, sir," Troy replied.

The government alleged that Troy's taking of the black bear in October 2004 was videotaped and later edited to appear as though he killed the black bear in a "fair chase" hunting situation. The indictment alleges that "Cubby" was a "trophy caliber, tame/captive-reared" black bear.

A felony charge against Troy of violating the Lacey Act by transporting the bear from Minnesota to Kentucky and on to his home in Tennessee was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The government alleged that Troy paid Sandstone hunting guide Lee Marvin Greenly $4,650 to shoot the black bear known as "Cubby" on Greenly's 80-acre Minnesota Wildlife Connection property, where he also operates a wildlife photography business. The indictment said that Greenly charges individuals about $750 per guided hunt.

Immediately before Troy entered his guilty plea, Greenly, 46, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of bear guiding for guiding his hunting clients to baiting stations on the Sandstone National Wildlife Refuge, where it is unlawful to hunt black bears. Each of the two crimes is punishable by potential maximum penalties of five years in prison and $250,000.

In response, Troy's management company released this statement:

Today in Duluth, MN, Troy Gentry, half of multi-platinum country duo Montgomery Gentry, pleaded to a lesser offense of inaccurately tagging a bear, based on the prosecutions’ recent decision to reduce the initial charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. While the case had nothing to do with the actual hunt – a legal act - Gentry accepts responsibility for a tag incorrectly submitted on his behalf.

US District Judge, Paul Magnuson cited on record that to date, he received "a number of communications that did not reflect the charge at all," and therefore concurred that, "Mr Gentry didn’t tag this bear properly. That’s the charge." At no time was it ever alleged that the bear was harvested illegally.

Gentry's attorney, Ron Meshbesher, further explains that his clients’ response was to a "simple charge having to do with improper tagging of a game animal. That’s all it ever was." Subject to the courts approval, the incorrect tagging could result in a fifteen thousand dollar fine and the forfeiture of his weapon and mounted bear.

Troy Gentry adds, "I did participate in improperly tagging the animal I shot, without realizing the seriousness of what I was doing. For that, I am truly sorry. I relied on the experts around me for guidance, and I regret that today. Not so much because I was fined and punished, but because it appears that I don’t have respect for the law. This has been a humbling experience for me, and one which I deeply regret."

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That was what happened. This story has been taken the wrong way by many individuals and websites; people are claiming that he shot the bear in a 'cage', and that he was outside of the cage; that is not true either.

The reason for this petition is to not only show support for Montgomery Gentry, but also to let people know a little more about things before too many judgements are made on Troy. Also, if this petition succeeds, I will be sending it to a CMT.com website administrator. The reason for that is because on CMT's message boards, members are constantly allowed to say how terrible they think Troy is (and I respect everyone's opinion, don't get me wrong... just keep reading), yet when ever someone makes a new topic or a statement in support of Troy, it seems to get deleted quickly by a site admin. Why is that? Shouldn't we all be able to state our own opinion? There is also an article on CMT.com that I find highly disrespectful (It's from Thursday, Nov. 30 if you want to try and find it on the sight)... not that the author of this article can't state his opinion freely, but this has gotten out of hand.

Maybe 'canned hunting' isn't the most honorable thing in the world. Maybe someone out there who's reading this hates this guy already, and is ready to click the back button on their browser because they think they have read enough. But read on.

People read about Troy Gentry hunting this bear (and just WHAT makes a 'domesticated' bear so different from a wild one?) and automatically think they know what kind of person he is. I've seen it before and I know I'll see it again. But here are some other facts that may just change your mind.

Troy (along with singing partner Eddie Montgomery) toured in Iraq earlier last year. They were there for quite a while, performing for the American troops that are currently over there fighting for the country. They also visited the wounded ones, took the time to talk with them, and even gave out free CDs.

Also, if you're a fan, you've probably noticed that Troy and Eddie give back to the community, as well. It isn't a rare occurence for them to donate some of the funds from concerts to charity. Both Troy and Eddie were recently on Wheel of Fortune, and donated winnings (thousands of dollars) to charity. Furthermore, Troy Gentry also recently donated a brand new 2007 Chevy Silverado truck to the Nashville School of Arts, which is now being used to transport musical instruments.

I have met both Troy Gentry and Eddie Montgomery to find that they are both gentlemen and very welcoming. They are incredible and wonderful people.

The short version of all this: You can't judge a person by one mistake. You can state your own opinion, but it is not correct to state it falsely. Help me make a difference by signing, so that I can send this to the websites that aren't telling the world the whole story. And if nothing else, I hope someone changed their mind about this situation upon reading what I had to say.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully sign. I appreciate it. God bless you.