Friday, November 25, 2011

Matthew Bassie is NOT a Coyote...


Jerrod Cole, a 19 year-old Waterloo resident, is apparently no fan of coyotes. At approximately 5:30 p.m. on the night of November 8th, Cole shot trespassing bow-hunter Matthew Bassie, also 19. When questioned by Game Warden Johnny Johnson, Cole stated he mistook the 5' 10" neon orange hat-wearing Bassie for a coyote. Cole then shot Bassie with his 20 gauge shotgun, 13 of 34 pellets penetrating the trespasser's chest; however, Bassie remained relatively unscathed by the bird shot and was released from the hospital after treatment. Authorities have not reported if the two men knew each other previously..

While Matthew Bassie has been charged with misdemeanor trespassing on the Cole property at the intersection of County Roads 8 and 100, Jerrod Cole was arrested on November 22nd and charged with reckless endangerment, reckless assault, and hunting at night. The 2011 Wilson High School graduate currently attends Northwest Shoals Community College and is free on bond. Bassie is a graduate of Waterloo High School and attends the University of North Alabama. Apparently neither has taken classes in hunting safety.

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Comments: During the early days of our blog, we allowed uncensored comments. After several threats to reveal the name of a rape victim, we decided to discontinue the comment portion of our column. We regularly receive numerous comments on our Facebook page, but we realize not everyone is registered on that social networking site. Therefore, we are resuming comments today, all moderated in advance.

Absolutely no comments containing vulgarity, profanity, or similar language will be published. Neither will we publish libelous comments or remarks in which posters label others with unsavory names. Hint: Calling those who do not share your beliefs "stupid" or "stinking" is hardly intelligent debate and will not be tolerated.

That's it--have at it.



Shoalanda

5 comments:

  1. There are some people who wear their brains inside their hip pocket.

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  2. To whom this article was written by,

    This article has many flaws throughout it. I, Matthew Bassie, was not trespassing at the time of the shooting. I was hunting my uncle’s private property which joins a TVA power line. I was in the power line at the time of the shooting. There is an easement on TVA’s power line property. This is why I was NOT charged with misdemeanor trespassing. Also this article states that I was wearing a neon orange hat which I was not. Under Alabama’s Department of Conservation law gun hunters are required to wear 144 square inches of blaze orange. However, during bow season hunters are NOT required to follow this law. Therefore, I was abiding by this law as well. Furthermore, the article also states that I have not satisfied hunters’ education course. However I have obtained this requirement from the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries on the day of August 25th 2005. The Identification number of my hunters education card is 488690. Unlike Mr. Cole I am a licensed hunter.

    The trail has been continued multiple times. Currently Mr. Cole will stand trial on May 24, 2012 for three misdemeanor charges and multiple hunting violations.

    I am unaware of who wrote this article but it is very inconsistent from the truth. If you are going to blog about something, at least get the facts right.

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  3. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/11/teen_shoots_other_teen_in_hunt.html

    Information was taken from this article. You may wish also to contact its author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. From WHNT: Bassie had been bow-hunting and was trespassing on Cole's property, the station reported.

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  5. Also false, I have already had my uncle (property owner) and lawyer contact WHNT. The bogus information that I was trespassing was told to WHNT by Mr. Cole’s mother. I am stating what is on the Alabama’s Game and Fish investigation. All the information I have provided can be backed up with evidence.

    Thank you for the link above. I will contact this author as well.

    From my understanding on the link above, it was written based on statement before the investigation took place. It was also told by a county cop, not a game warden which has jurisdiction over hunting incidents.

    ReplyDelete