(08:15) TORO PARK – An employee with the Washington Union School District is under investigation for harming a federally protected species. The employee allegedly knocked a nest of Cliff Swallows out of a tree while conducting maintenance by Toro Park Elementary Thursday morning. A Good Samaritan later took the swallows to the Monterey County SPCA. One of the injured birds had to be euthanized. Cliff Swallows are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and violating the law could result in fines of up to $15,000 per bird and prison time. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are looking into the violation. (S.G.)
