Prosecutor undecided on whether to charge Wash. man accused of using bow on suspected burglar
By APMonday, July 5, 2010
Charges undecided in Wash. hunting bow case
KELSO, Wash. — A prosecutor in Washington state says she’s still deciding how to proceed with a December case in which authorities say a man shot a prowler in the buttocks with a hunting bow.
Cowlitz County prosecutor Sue Baur says she’s been studying related case law but has yet to determine what, if any, charges to file against Scott Allen Schwingdorf of Kelso.
According to police, Schwingdorf armed himself with a hunting bow after he spotted Galen Louis Crayne prowling around a neighbor’s vacant property Dec. 13. Police say Schwingdorf stalked Crayne for three blocks before shooting him in the left buttock with a broadhead arrow.
Crayne suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was later charged with residential burglary.
Baur says local juries have sided with people claiming self-defense in similar cases. She says she could make up her mind as soon as this week.
Information from: The Daily News, www.tdn.com
