SCARBOROUGH (AP) — The owner of an unleashed dog that killed a piping plover chick on a Scarborough beach has come forward and is cooperating with the investigation.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said a witness told a Maine Audubon volunteer that the dog owner was warned and did nothing to stop the attack Monday on the protected bird on Pine Point Beach.

Sgt. Tim Spahr of the Maine Warden Service said Wednesday, however, that that does not appear to be true.

He tells The Portland Press Herald the dog owner did try to control the pet.

The owner, whose name has not been disclosed, could still face charges.

Harming an endangered or threatened species is a misdemeanor punishable by jail time or a fine of up to $1,000.