Two Men Charged in Fort White Hunting Accident

FORT WHITE, FL --Two men involved in a reported hunting accident in Fort White during early October are now facing several charges each from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office took the initial report October 12th when the accident occurred and one of the men was shot in the arm.  The investigation was then turned over to FWC officials who found inconsistencies with the men's stories and both men were re-interviewed.

Gary Stine, 22, from Lecanto, was shot in the left forearm. His initial statement indicated he was bowhunting while Joseph Alan Barnes, 19, of Erwin, NC was holding a rifle. Barnes allegedly dropped the rifle and it fired, striking Stine in the arm.

The FWC discoverd both men were hunting with rifles and Stine's wound was self-inflicted. His .243 caliber rifle had an unreliable safety mechanism.

Stine is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, hunting deer with a modern gun during archery season and hunting without a proper license.

Barnes, who was hunting deer with a 12-guage shotgun, was charged with hunting without a proper license and attempting to take a deer with a modern gun during archery season.

 

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