City councilman in Washington state recovering from bear attack; old, thin bear was put down

BELLEVUE, Wash. – Bellevue City Councilman John Chelminiak (CHEL'-min-ak) has a good excuse for missing Monday's meeting.

He's in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle recovering from a bear mauling Friday night at a cabin near Lake Wenatchee.

His wife, Lynn Semler, told KOMO-TV she was in the cabin when she heard yelling. When she opened the garage door she saw the bear, which she first thought was a black dog. She comforted her husband while his daughter called 911.

State wildlife agents killed the bear, which was old and thin.

Chelminiak had surgery over the weekend for wounds to the upper part of his body.

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Information from: KOMO-TV, http://www.komotv.com/