SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A 50-year-old Oregon man has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of a man gathering plants for floral arrangements in the woods near Silverton.
William C. Rogers of Brooks pleaded guilty. He was sentenced Friday in Marion County Circuit Court in the Nov. 2 death of 20-year-old Elias Sontay of Woodburn.
Officials say Rogers lacked a hunting license. He also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rogers has said he saw movement in nearby brush, thought he saw deer antlers and fired. Deputy District Attorney Bryan Orrio says Rogers failed to go see what had been shot.
