Roaming black bear caught off Highway 50 East

A 300-pound black bear gave residents off Highway 50 East a scare just before 7 a.m. Thursday morning.

"I was sitting here and my cat was all hysterical and I happened to look out the window and the bear's standing in my yard," said Beverlee Korman, who lives in the 2800 block of Highway 50 East. "I don't have a very big yard, and it looked like an elephant in there."

As she waited for deputies to arrive, she watched the burly creature make its way out of her yard and lumber along the dirt drive.

"He just sauntered out there," she said. "I don't know where it went after that. I wasn't about to go out there."

Tony Kelich said he was in his home nearby on Nichols Lane when his dog began to bark.

"I got up to look and this huge bear was trying to climb on top of my fence," he said. "You look out the window and you see birds and pigeons and things like that. You don't expect to see a 300-pound bear hanging off your fence."

Deputy Bill Richards was among eight officers who responded to the call. When Richards got on scene, the black bear was standing on a wall between a home and the Carson Convalescent Center.

Then it slipped away into a backyard.

Because it was on the move, officers stood guard at nearby bus stops to protect the children on their way to school, said Richards.

By the time Nevada Department of Wildlife Biologist Carl Lackey arrived, the animal had made its way up a tree in a front yard. Lackey shot the 3-year-old male with a tranquilizer dart about 8:45 a.m.

"I captured this bear once before in Incline Village last summer," said Lackey. "I haven't seen him since and I hopefully won't see him again."

Lackey said the bear will be released this morning in the Carson Range.