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Shoot, Shovel, Shut up Backfires, Self Defense Applies on Appeal
Gun Watch ^ | 3 July, 2018 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 07/03/2018 4:14:18 AM PDT by marktwain



Image by Troy Nemitz

On May, 11 2014, grizzly bears were harassing Brian Charette's horses near Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Charette killed one of the bears from less than 30 yards away, as it was climbing a fence, coming toward him and his home.

He and his friend, to avoid the hassle, tied the bear to a pickup truck, and buried it in a field. Shoot. Shovel. Shut up. From helenair.com:

Charette told investigators that three bears had been harassing his horses in a pasture about 30 yards from his home that May. He said he shot and killed one of the bears when it chased his dogs toward the home and appeared to be climbing a fence into his yard.

Charette and a friend tied the bear's carcass to a truck, dragged it away from the property and buried it in a field.
About seven months later, Charrette and his wife had divorced.  His ex-wife's new boyfriend reported the bear shooting to authorities.

The tribal police/game wardens investigated. Charrette confessed. He was prosecuted under federal law, which does not allow for jury trials of offenses which have punishments of less than six months in jail.

Charrete was found guilty in 2016. A plea bargain was not allowed, because Charrette refused to back off a possible self defense claim.

Charrete appealed to the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit reversed, writing that the circuit judge used the wrong standard for self defense in the case. The reversal occurred on June 18, 2018, four years after the shooting.

The precedent set follows current law, where the frame of mind of the person claiming self defense must be considered. Did the person subjectively fear for their life or the life of another person?

Charette followed the much ballyhooed Shoot, Shovel, Shut up doctrine. The case illustrates weaknesses inherent in that approach.

It is difficult to know who may be a witness or not. A trusted witness may talk to someone else at a later date.  Big animals require big holes. Grizzly bears are high profile cases. Three and a half years of ongoing court cases are a significant punishment.

One of the reasons for prosecution was that Charette did not report the shooting within five days, as required by federal law.

It is a little known aspect of the law that a jury trial is not a right in federal court, if the potential sentence is less than six months in jail. That decision was rendered in 1970.  In contrast, a jury trial is a right in civil cases involving claims of $20 or more. Many states use the federal standard for jury trials.

In today's world, with multiple cameras, including game cams, license plate readers, and Global Positioning System (GPS) phone tracking, anonymity becomes more and more difficult.

Reporting incidents to authorities may be a hassle. It may also be the wisest course to follow.

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch


TOPICS: Government; Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Society
KEYWORDS: attack; banglist; bear; mt; wildlife
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To: marktwain

> It is a little known aspect of the law that a jury trial is not a right in federal court, if the potential sentence is less than six months in jail. That decision was rendered in 1970. In contrast, a jury trial is a right in civil cases involving claims of $20 or more. <

It’s a side point, but that’s a real problem. And it needs to be fixed. The government can take away 6 months of your life without a jury hearing your case.

And that’s how they got Sheriff Joe. The feds charged him with a crime punishable by less than six months in jail. So he had no right to a jury trial.

What happened to him could happen to any of us. Trump’s Supreme Court needs to fix this. If you face ANY jail time, you should have a right to a jury trial.


21 posted on 07/03/2018 5:37:50 AM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: SauronOfMordor
The only secure secrets are the ones which never leave the inside of your skull.

For now.

22 posted on 07/03/2018 5:40:40 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Get in the Spirit! The Spirit of '76!)
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To: marktwain

The “shut up” part is the hardest. People really have no idea how many perps are nailed for a variety of felonies because they just can’t do it. It’ human nature.

OTOH, if you bury it somewhere where even you couldn’t find it later, yer pretty safe.


23 posted on 07/03/2018 5:42:53 AM PDT by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm using my wife's account.)
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To: marktwain

His failure was the 3rd S. Shutting up is the hardest part.


24 posted on 07/03/2018 5:43:23 AM PDT by Durus (You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand)
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To: Leaning Right

Leaning Right wrote:

“> It is a little known aspect of the law that a jury trial is not a right in federal court, if the potential sentence is less than six months in jail. That decision was rendered in 1970. In contrast, a jury trial is a right in civil cases involving claims of $20 or more. <

It’s a side point, but that’s a real problem. And it needs to be fixed. The government can take away 6 months of your life without a jury hearing your case.

And that’s how they got Sheriff Joe. The feds charged him with a crime punishable by less than six months in jail. So he had no right to a jury trial.

What happened to him could happen to any of us. Trump’s Supreme Court needs to fix this. If you face ANY jail time, you should have a right to a jury trial.”

Yes, needs fixing.

Where in the Constitution does it say the right to a jury trial doesn’t exist if the punishment is 6 months or less?


25 posted on 07/03/2018 5:45:12 AM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: gaijin

Great story.

Excellent idea.


26 posted on 07/03/2018 5:54:30 AM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: caver

“His ex-wife’s new boyfriend reported the bear shooting to authorities.”

Where is he buried?


27 posted on 07/03/2018 5:59:25 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: WildHighlander57

Where in the Constitution does it say the right to a jury trial doesn’t exist if the punishment is 6 months or less?


It doesn’t. It says *all* criminal trials.

The Supreme Court found this “exception” to the right to a jury trial in 1970.

The Supreme Court found the right to an abortion in 1973.


28 posted on 07/03/2018 5:59:40 AM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: Bonemaker

Divorce is so much fun.


29 posted on 07/03/2018 6:02:20 AM PDT by caver
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To: marktwain

We’ve got clay here so it would require a backhoe or 15 hours of digging.

A better way is a big ole pile of sawdust from the sawmill. The carcasses disappear quite quickly too, leaving nothing but bones. Works on all mammals.


30 posted on 07/03/2018 6:03:21 AM PDT by Pollard (If you don't understand what I typed, you haven't read the classics.)
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To: gaijin
Never, ever involve the wife...

Unless she's the going into the hole. Just sayin'

31 posted on 07/03/2018 6:16:37 AM PDT by Noumenon (When all liberals have is a hammer, every problem is a nail in YOUR coffin.)
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To: robroys woman

Burying it isn’t good enough as it can later be dug up and used as evidence against you. Remove all traces of the bullet and leave the bear for the vultures. Or feed the meat to the wife so that she’s an accomplice. Or two birds with one stone but I better stop there.


32 posted on 07/03/2018 6:17:48 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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To: WildHighlander57

> Where in the Constitution does it say the right to a jury trial doesn’t exist if the punishment is 6 months or less? <

The Constitution is quite clear about this. When it comes to criminal cases, the ONLY limitation the Constitution places on a jury trial is for impeachment. If the Founders also wanted a jail-time condition, they certainly would have included it.

It is absolutely disgusting that judges - conservative and liberal alike - are so comfortable ignoring this basic right.

Article III, Section 2

The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.


33 posted on 07/03/2018 6:26:02 AM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: bgill

Remove all traces of the bullet and leave the bear for the vultures.


I do think that is the bottom line.

I have a friend that has chickens. One day there was a dead chicken laying in the yard. He thought a raccoon had gotten to it. So he set one of those cage traps and threw the chicken in. The next day he had caught the predator.

It was a hawk.

I asked him what he did with it since, as we all know, you can’t kill them. He winked and said that he thought he story needed to just end there...


34 posted on 07/03/2018 6:26:15 AM PDT by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm using my wife's account.)
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To: robroys woman

” . . . and I would’ve gotten away with it, if it hadn’t been for those pesky wives!”


35 posted on 07/03/2018 6:34:28 AM PDT by Notthemomma
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To: marktwain

I think the whole point of SSS is to do it in secret.


36 posted on 07/03/2018 6:49:48 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: hadaclueonce

Never, EVER talk to the police without a lawyer.
They are not your friend. They will pretend to be so that you incriminate yourself.


37 posted on 07/03/2018 6:59:03 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: Pecos
Benjamin Franklin once said that three people can keep a secret only if two of them are dead.

So did the mob boss of New Orleans, Carlos Marcello, but I guessing that Marcello's statement came across much more threatening.

38 posted on 07/03/2018 7:21:55 AM PDT by CommerceComet (Hillary: A unique blend of arrogance, incompetence, and corruption.)
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To: Leaning Right
It’s a side point, but that’s a real problem. And it needs to be fixed. The government can take away 6 months of your life without a jury hearing your case.

That doesn't make any sense.

Amendment 6.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

39 posted on 07/03/2018 8:42:41 AM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: marktwain

Nah. It’s still easy.

Shoot, shovel, shut up on the bear.

When the wife divorces, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When the relatives of the wife come to investigate, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When the local sheriff comes to check out the missing relatives, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When State SWAT teams show up because of the missing sheriff, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When the State National Guard is mobilized to your property, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When the entire combined force of the United States Military is mobilized against you, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When the UN leads a multinational invasion force against you, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

When local aliens with high tech faster-than-light vehicles hears about the threat you pose to this quadrant of the galaxy arrives, with their death rays, shoot, shovel, and shut up.

See?


40 posted on 07/03/2018 8:49:23 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The New York Times is so openly dishonest, even their crossword puzzles lie.)
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