To the editor:

To prove the adage, “No good deed shall go unpunished,” one need look no further than the Bornholdt vs. Ann Bryant Case #500CRM-1205.

Instead of prosecuting Ann Bryant, executive director of the Bear League, for criminal trespassing, it would seem more appropriate for the District Attorney’s Office to address the root of this case: The failure of the Bornholdt family to properly eliminate or contain bear attractants on their property. Chiding them for not correcting the ongoing problem of garbage in their basement and the unlidded garbage cans placed at their curb for days before pick-up, also seems appropriate. Due to the Bornholdts’ delinquent behavior, bears have broken into their home.

Ann Bryant, while checking the Rubicon area for bear break-ins, spotted a broken window at the Bornholdt’s home. Ann proceeded, as a good Samaritan, into the home to ascertain whether or not:

— A bear or bears were still present;

— any gas appliances had been turned on by the bear, as had been the case recently in another home;

— any electrical appliances had been turned on that could endanger the home, or;

— any water faucets had been turned on.

This is what the District Attorney has labeled “criminal trespassing?” “Frivolous action” might be a more appropriate label to attach to the Bornholdt complaint! Ann Bryant is the good Samaritan here, not the criminal. Her actions should be praised, not prosecuted. Considering all that Ann Bryant has done for the Tahoe community and its wildlife, we submit that she should be voted Tahoe’s “Citizen of the Year.”

Jack and Mary Kay Frazee

South Lake Tahoe