A Bend man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting and killing a beloved trumpeter swan, Chuck, on Thanksgiving on the Deschutes River just northwest of Sunriver.

An anonymous tip led investigating officers to Jordan A. Dupuis, 22, who admitted to the shooting Tuesday, according to interim Sunriver Police Chief Scott Hayes.

Dupuis was cited for unlawful taking of a prohibited species, a class A misdemeanor. Trumpeter swans are a protected species in Oregon, and hunting them is illegal.

Sunriver Police worked with Oregon State Police to find the suspect. After four months of investigating without any concrete evidence, officers were starting to lose hope, Hayes said.

“Our cases are always open,” Hayes said. “But at the point where we were at, pending any investigation of leads, we were done.”

Chuck, an 11-year-old trumpeter swan, was a popular figure at the Sunriver Nature Center, where he would spend his time with his mate, Gracie, and their four offspring, born on the Fourth of July 2017.

The nature center gathered donations to offer a $4,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the illegal shooting.

Hayes said he does not believe the anonymous tip was motivated by the reward, and the nature center is determining if or when it will present the reward money.

On Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Day, Sunriver Police responded to a report of an injured swan found bleeding in the Deschutes River just north of Gannet Lane.

Chuck was recovered alive and transported to an emergency animal center in Bend, but ultimately the gunshot wound was fatal.

The swan was euthanized that evening. The nature center has plans to mount Chuck’s body in a taxidermy display and use it for educational programs.

Dupuis is scheduled for an initial appearance in Deschutes County Circuit Court in April.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com