Moose Droppings

Highway Sniper turned in by Hunting Companions

Jul 28, 2006 @ 01:34 am by Moose

The most recent highway shooter in Indiana had been part of a group of hunters who were helping a farmer thin some deer.

Blanton was charged Tuesday with murder, attempted murder and criminal recklessness in connection with the attacks, which occurred on Interstates 65 and 69. They left Jerry Ross of New Albany dead and an Iowa man wounded.

Before the attacks Blanton — who lives in Gaston, in Delaware County — had been part of a group of hunters who were helping a Southern Indiana landowner thin a deer herd that was damaging his crops.

How anyone could take another’s life for no apparent reason is beyond me. The others in this hunting party must have been glad that he didn’t turn on them

This was Blanton’s second time there, Nelson said, and the teen was not known for being a good shot.

Blanton didn’t take a deer Saturday, but some of the others had, Nelson said. “We came back right at dark and started gutting the deer.”

When Blanton didn’t help, the older men got on his case for not doing his share of the work. The teenager left, slamming the door on his car before driving away, Nelson said.

“There was no great big argument,” Nelson said. “He had been asked to help out and he did not want to.”

Something must have been going on that they would of even suspected that this guy was involved in the shooting.

Acting on instinct, Nelson said, he asked Reno to check with Sheriff George Sheridan about the caliber of the weapon used in the shootings, saying he just wanted to know whether Blanton could have been involved.

Reno said Nelson told him that Blanton had a .270-caliber Remington rifle on the hunt.

“And once I got that information,” Reno said, “I got hold of the sheriff, and he confirmed the caliber of the weapon, which hadn’t been released at that time.”

Reno said Sheridan talked to Nelson, “and he gave him enough information that they went out” and interviewed Blanton, then arrested him.

Most of us will never face situations like this however it will not surprise me if all hunters will have to answer for this. To often then not the media will use situations like this to put all deer hunters in a bad light. Will see how this plays out but the alleged murderer happens to be someone who deer hunted but the case was also solved because another citizen hunter step forward and gave the authorities the information to get a dangerous individual off the street.

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