In a shallow cavern beneath the roots of a fallen pine, a mother bear, barely awakened from hibernation, gave birth to two tiny cubs, blind and hairless. While the mother bear was by species a California black bear, she was in fact brownish blonde in color. Others of her species were dark brown, like Hershey bars, and yet others were true to their name and were a glossy black.

It was a warm Wednesday evening in April when Wildlife Officer Garrett Lenz saw a vehicle run a stop sign while leaving Hensley Lake. After stopping the vehicle, Lenz discovered its occupants were in joint possession of a significant over-limit of crappie. As it would turn out, the vehicle stop and subsequent discovery would foreshadow a more significant case for the young Officer later that evening.