'Bird whisperer' accused of firing rifle in parking garage

The "bird whisperer's" $164,000 no-bid contract with the city of Springfield is in jeopardy after Police Chief Ralph Caldwell said Tuesday that James Soules had probably broken the law by firing a .22-caliber rifle in a parking garage.

Caldwell told aldermen that an investigation had found probable cause to believe that Soules or one of his employees had fired inside the parking garage for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

"You just can't shoot a firearm in downtown Springfield," Caldwell said.

In a telephone interview, Soules, of Decatur, said later Tuesday that he does not even own a .22-caliber rifle. He said he had shot a sick pigeon inside the garage with an air rifle.

"I probably had 20 people say, 'Why don't you get those birds because they crap all over our cars?'" he said.

Soules said he does have a .22-caliber pistol but did not use it in the garage. Such a weapon would be useful only at close range, he said.

The Illinois State Police, the lead agency because the alleged offense occurred on state property, has turned its report over to Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt, who is reviewing it, Caldwell said. Soules could be charged with misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon.

Told of the findings at a meeting Tuesday, aldermen on the Springfield City Council's finance committee unanimously forwarded an ordinance by Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen revoking Soules' contract to the full city council for a vote April 15.

The ordinance was placed on the consent agenda, meaning it could be approved automatically with other routine measures.

Caldwell declined to discuss the evidence in the case but said Deputy Police Chief Doug Williamson has talked with Soules on the phone about it.

State and city police opened an investigation of the shell casings in the garage next to the museum after Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards gave Caldwell the name of an individual who had found them in January.

Soules told aldermen at a city council meeting in December that he doesn't shoot or poison birds, though he may use an air rifle to knock down a few that are sick so they don't attract other birds.

The State Journal-Register interviewed a woman in December who works downtown and said she had spotted Soules shooting birds with .22-caliber rifle.

"I don't like the idea of someone downtown firing a weapon," Theilen said. "I think he lied here in front of us. I think it was all just a big sham."

Soules said he doesn't need the Springfield job and believes competitors are trying to stir up opposition to him.

"I'm getting so disgusted with it over there," Soules said. "They have a problem. I have the answer. I'm not going to abide it very much longer because I don't have to."

According to Soules, someone else put poison in the garage next to the Hilton Springfield, possibly to discredit him. He said he dispatched his son and daughter-in-law to clean it up.

"It was not ours," Soules said.

Theilen estimated that less than $40,000 remains to be paid out on Soules' two-year contract, which expires April 1, 2009. The money comes from the downtown tax increment financing district. Theilen said the city should look into whether it can recover the money already paid out, if the terms of the contract were violated.

The city also should put its next contract for bird-removal services out to bid, Theilen said.

Soules, who is in his 80s, is renowned for his ability to rid cities of birds. He refuses to say how he does it, though.

An effort to revoke Soules' contract failed that month after downtown business owners protested. A few days later, Mayor Tim Davlin, a staunch defender of Soules, spent much of his state of downtown speech making fun of the controversy.

Jim Donelan, Davlin's executive assistant, said Tuesday that he was unsure whether Davlin still opposes rescinding the contract.

"There were some questions on what methodology was used by the bird whisperer, and I think that's what we're awaiting the outcome of," Donelan said.

Chris Wetterich can be reached at (217) 788-1523.

<span class="headline">The contract </span>

*$164,000 to get rid of birds for the city without guns or poison.

*Estimated $40,000 yet to be paid out.

*Expires April 1, 2009.