Black bear reported in Matthews days after video surfaced in Waxhaw

WAXHAW, N.C. — Police said there was another black bear sighting Monday in the Matthews neighborhood, a day after a bear was spotted in Waxhaw.

Dan Haines didn’t report seeing the bear but is now scratching his head over something he noticed a few months back.

"I guess it’s N.C., so I expect it to a certain extent,” Haines said. "We found some scat about six months ago, and I talked myself out of it, didn't think it was a bear, so it's kind of funny."

Sgt. William Laton, with the North Carolina Wildlife and Fisheries, said the bear sighting isn't as unusual as it may seem.

"We've had calls throughout the weekend about it,” Laton said. “It's not out of the ordinary this time of year. Bears usually begin to range out a bit and try to find their own territory.”

Laton said the development in the area is drawing them closer.

"As development continues, we're going to see more (bears),” Laton said. “We'll probably see more bear activity in the area."

Laton warns residents that if they see a black bear, they should just give them space.

He said black bears aren’t typically aggressive.

"Our main thing is just to give the bear room, give it a chance to move through the area and not follow it around and run it up a tree somewhere, which creates a problem,” Laton said.

Union County residents remain on high alert after several people reported seeing a black bear.

A viewer sent Channel 9 a video of the bear digging through the trash and casually carrying a trash bag down the driveway in Waxhaw.

"I was very shocked to see the bear,” Stacy Watkins said.

Watkins was reviewing his home security footage Sunday morning when he saw the bear.

The footage was time-stamped at about 1:30 a.m.

(VIEWER VIDEO: Black bear digs in Waxhaw neighborhood garbage)

Watkins walked outside and found his trash cans knocked over.

“You can see on top of both of them, the big bear paws,” Watkins said.

Watkins said the bear left the trash bag.

“He left it and then he walked off,” Watkins said. “He didn't even eat it. He must've gotten spooked or something."

The sighting came hours after at least two other people called authorities to report seeing the bear. The calls prompted Waxhaw police to post a message on Facebook that warns, “Do not approach the bear."

“It was excitement that we saw the bear, but a little concerned because I have two small children,” Watkins said.

Watkins’ children weren’t quite as concerned.

“I hope the bear will come back to our house tonight,” Delaney Watkins said.

Residents in Waxhaw are buzzing over that home surveillance video.

“Everywhere you go people are talking about it. It’s kind of unusual,” said Sal Falcone, a Waxhaw resident.

Watkins said he reported the bear to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission because he's afraid someone might shoot it or it might get hit by a car.

“The game warden basically said they're moving in this area and that he should find a new location soon, but they're not planning to try to relocate him at this time,” Watkins said.

Cox Media Group