An American bald eagle became tangled in power lines Tuesday afternoon on Allen Street in Waterville after landing on a utility pole and was electrocuted.

The dead eagle dangled in the wires for several hours Tuesday until Central Maine Power Co. employees could turn off the power to nearby businesses after 5 p.m. and disentangle the bird.

Central Maine Power employee Don Higgins pulls the body of an American bald eagle off the wires of a utility pole on Allen Street in Waterville after it landed on the pole and was electrocuted on Tuesday. The bird was in the wires for several hours until CMP turned off the power after 5 p.m. to disentangle the bird. Staff photo by David Leaming

A CMP employee at the scene said Tuesday afternoon the eagle probably died instantly from the 12,000 volts that course through the wire.

Allen Street is a two-block street that runs from College Avenue and dead-ends at the railroad tracks next to the Kennebec River. Businesses affected included David Mathieu Auto Body, which is near the pole where the eagle became entangled.

It’s a federal offense to possess an eagle, so a warden from the Maine Warden Service took the bird after it was disentangled.

A call to CMP for more information Tuesday evening wasn’t immediately returned.