LA PINE, OR -- A Deschutes County Grand Jury has indicted a Tillamook man for his part in a fatal hunting accident near La Pine. Investigators say 53-year-old Michael Pekarek was prepared to shoot a deer Monday morning, when the animal moved. He turned to tell 45-year-old Jeffrey Cummings, and shot the arrow, killing Cummings. District Attorney John Hummel says Pekarek didn’t intend to shoot his hunting partner with a bow and arrow, but the Grand Jury found his actions were reckless and/or criminally negligent.
KBND News Outdoor Expert Gary Lewis says the incident raises a lot of red flags because the circumstances appear to go against what hunters are taught about safety. "This is very rare in archery; it’s rare in gun hunting too, but it does happen. It proves the basic rules still apply: never point a gun at something you don’t want to kill. And, we’re saying ‘gun’ but in this case it was a bow and arrow." Lewis suspects Pekarek was using a wrist apparatus that could have factored into the accident. "It holds on to the string – so it’s a mechanical release – and I’m guessing that’s what he was using. And, if you’ve got your finger close to that, or the release fails – which I’ve seen them do – then it’ll release the arrow without you wanting it released. Unfortunately, he broke the very basic rule of pointing a loaded weapon at a person."
Pekarek is charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide and Manslaughter in the Second Degree. He remains in the Deschutes County jail on $500,000 bail, and is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday.
