Two men from Honduras were charged Tuesday with unlawful possession of a Bald Eagle and are alleged to have shot and killed the protected bird in Nebraska.

CNN noted the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said the two men “planned on cooking and eating the bird.”

A press release from SCSO indicated deputies discovered the two men after a “suspicious vehicle” was reported around 4 p.m.

Responding deputies found “the vehicle…in a field and while having contact with the two males it was determined that they had a dead North American Bald Eagle in their possession.”

SCSO also noted: “Nebraska Game and Parks was contacted and took custody of the eagle and the rifle used to kill the eagle. Two Honduran nationals Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin, 20, and Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 20, both of Norfolk were cited for unlawful possession of the eagle.”

Hernandez-Tziquin also received a citation for no driver’s license.

Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger has been in law enforcement for 40 years and he told CNN this is the first time he has had to deal with a Bald Eagle being killed in his county.

The Bald Eagle, chosen as a national emblem in 1782, is protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.