Posted on 05/05/2008 5:19:28 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
The Belle Plaine man who fatally shot his 8-year-old son while turkey hunting last month had alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time of the incident, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Sibley County.
Anthony Klaseus mistook his son, Hunter, for a wild turkey last month and shot him in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun, according to police.
When officials arrived at the scene, they smelled alcohol and asked Klaseus if he had been drinking.
Klaseus stated he had consumed one beer several hours earlier in the day and agreed to take a preliminary breath test. Klaseus tested with a BAC of .060.
Investigators searched Klaseus vehicle and found several 12-packs of beer and several empty bottles and cans. They also found a marijuana pipe, which had freshly burnt marijuana residue inside.
After urine tests, Klaseus was found with an ethyl alcohol concentration of .05 grams. The sample was collected three hours after the time of the shooting. Tests regarding the exact amount of marijuana in Klaseus' system will be released in the next few weeks.
Klaseus is charged with second-degree manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm, trespassing, and hunting without a license.
If convicted, Klaseus faces over 15 years in prison, a $32,000 fine, or both.
Rot in hell, you SOB.
Video and criminal complaint at the link.
you nailed it man
Sorry but I don’t think this was an accident at all. 12 year olds do NOT get mistaken for turkey.
He should be prosecuted for murder.
Make that 8 year ols.
They wouldn’t be able to prove intent for murder. But he’ll have 15 years of hard time to live with what he did.
Nor do eight year olds. You can’t expect a child to sit still in the woods while hunting with his dad. They are curious and excited. They can’t sit still.
Oh, and don’t toke up before before going hunting with an eight year old.
I don’t want to defend him, but a blood alcohol of .06 is not “drunk” in any state that I know of.
Still, how do you mistake your son for a bird?
.08 will get a night in jail if you’re driving.
Sorry, when the guns are out and loaded.....no drinking...no dope.
With, or without an eight year old.
Most likely he will serve a life sentence.
Not in Minnesota, Cindy.
I think it was just as charged, manslaughter perpetrated by an irresponsible moron who IMO deserves to go to jail.
Geeees.....on the complaint....did you see the amount of beer bottles/cartons...empty and full in the back of the pickup??? Holy Merde!
Well, apparently it’s possible to mistake an 8 year old for a 12 year old.
I was looking at the picture. So sad. So avoidable. He will probably serve a “self inflicted” life sentence , regardless of what the state gives him. I doubt any punishment can come close to how he punishes himself.
Yeah, a bit more than one adult should be hunting with.
Don’t get me wrong, folks.....I, along with my hunting pals enjoy a couple of beers AFTER the hunting day is over. Once the guns are unloaded and in their cases.
This is flat inexcusable and criminal.
When I go hunting, I never even fire if I don’t know where others in my party are, especially youngins.
Rule #1 of gun safety.
There fixed it for you.
Interesting about the mj factor in this case. AFAIK, there is no test for determining intoxication by marijuana. The urine test actually tests for metabolites that indicate the body recently “digested” THC. Furthermore, the metabolites for THC can be present in the body for up to 30 days past the time the user ingests the drug. As much as I would like to see this guy appropriately punished for killing his kid, I don’t see how they can take stock in the up coming report that details the “amount of marijuana” in his system.
That being said, the police/prosecutors have plenty to tell the jury just by saying they found a pipe with burnt mj residue at the crime scene, found evidence in the defendent’s urine indicating he recently smoked marijuana, found evidence that he was drinking, and was in fact intoxicated (a .06 three hours after the fact means he had more than “one”) from alcohol. Probably enough there for the jury to see the light without having to make false claims about the levels of mj intoxication at the time of the crime.
I agree, if it had happened to me,
the authorities would have found two bodies in the woods.
Sad that he named his child “Hunter” and then killed him.
Would you hunt with this guy?
Just sad. Period....
How about we establish a firm legal principle, whether by case law or statute, that anyone who wilfully becomes intoxicated using any psychactive substance is responsible for any actions committed while wilfully intoxicated to the same degree that he or she would be if the actions were carried out with premediation. Then, we legalize drugs.
There’s a certain type of “hunter” that “hunts” by shooting at any sign of motion. Turkeys move, little boys move, cows move, horses move. These “hunters” have shot them all.
Ok what's wrong with this headline?
This idiot smokes dope, drinks beer, trespasses and illegally hunts and some twit thinks this was an "accident"?? While this might meet the dictionary definition of "accident" i.e. occurring unintentionally, I would re-write this headline to read:
Man who NEGLIGENTLY killed his son...
I haven't personally hunted turkeys, but I've been told that turkey hunters often mistake other objects for partial views of turkeys and I have read that accidents are more common while hunting turkey than in most other types of hunting.
Turkey hunting is more of a sit and wait thing. Hide in a blind. Decoys. Lots of calling.
Not a stalking type of hunt.
Much like deer hunting from a tree stand.
This story puts a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't very well describe. The only good thing that I can think of right now is that this boy is with Jesus.
Give your son a big hug for us.
Riskiest form of hunting. Everything is camouflage. People sitting or laying at ground level. Too many morons.
(Deer hunting can be risky even though your wearing tons of blaze orange.)
Hunters and gun owners in general get a bad rap, as it is.
Bad behavior only serves to fan the flames.
I’ll hunt with you....any time.
On the other hand I have gone hunting with many adult men who have never grown up. Those are short trips.
Harry Whittington moves...
“Then, we legalize drugs.”
Let’s not. It doesn’t work. How about we just make the penalties for crime so severe the crime rate plummets? I have been in some of those countries. It works and works well.
I really don’t know how to react to your post.
I’m going to stick with my opinion that this eight year old boy should be alive today.
I don’t blame him. He was only eight.
Then let’s make alcohol illegal. That can work too.
Poor kid, that he would be murdered by his father over something this incredibly stupid is maddening.
He deserves death, but may this thing (it’s definitely nothing even approaching a man if pot and alcohol mean more to him than the safety of his child) find its life behind bars a grinding Hell beyond all endurance.
Hopefully the other inmates will see that justice is done.
This photo has been torturing me for the past month.
I think your remark about sums it up.
Sorry, I get emotional in cases like this one.....
and the antis’ will use this poor excuse of a man let alone a “hunter” as a prime example of how terrible real hunters are...
I grew up in the country and we don’t call those “hunters”
I'd definitely prefer to clean and eat a turkey than a scrawny pheasant.
With all the mega-farms and corporate farms, it's gotten a lot harder to find private land to hunt. Opening day of any season can be hazardous to your health around the public DNR hunting areas.
(BTW, I've seen a ton of wild turkeys this year in eastern Iowa.)
What a nightmare for all involved! Poor innocent child, out for a day of fun with dad and he loses his life due to stupidity on the part of one who should have known better.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.