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Man charged with hunting death
GATE CITY - Conservation police officers with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have charged a Scott County man with involuntary manslaughter in the hunting related death of a Bath County resident, which occurred Saturday, Nov. 10.
According to Lt. Kevin C. Clarke, conservation police officers charged Stan Wayne Godsey, 53, of Gate City, on Nov. 28, for the shooting death of Radcliffe O. Vernon, 36, of Hot Springs.
Godsey and Vernon were both hunting for deer with muzzleloaders. The incident occurred on the opening day for hunting deer with a muzzleloader.
The two hunters, who were unknown to each other, were hunting near Lake Moomaw when the incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. Vernon, who was legally dressed in camouflage clothing, was allegedly mistaken and shot for a legal game animal. Godsey, the shooter, immediately sought help for the victim, but was hampered by the remoteness of the area in which they were hunting.
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable as a class 5 felony. If convicted, Godsey could face the maximum penalty of up to 10 years of in prison or at the discretion of the jury or the court trying the case without a jury, of confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.
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