Taking a page out of the book of Gotti, an Alabama man is now facing felony assault charges after shooting a witness to a wildlife crime. The hit incident took place just east of Tuscaloosa at the end of last month, after the accused and his son were riding around in search of geese.
Jacob Wayne Battle, 42, and his son, the driver of the vehicle, came upon a lone Canada Goose in the middle of the field. According to court documents, Battle urged the driver to use a rifle to dispatch the goose – a federally protected species.
As the pair were partaking in the illegal killing, two people inside a nearby home heard the gunshots and were quick to investigate. As they stepped outside of their home, they witnessed a young man running from the field where a slain goose lay with a high-powered rifle in his hands. Deciding to investigate what all the commotion was about, the two residents confronted Battle and his companion. While one argued with Battle, the other stepped behind the vehicle to get a good look at the truck’s tag number.
Battle told investigators that the two men were unarmed as far as he knew, but he was unsure as to what one of the men was doing behind his truck. He then told the driver to step on it and fired “two or three warning shots towards the ground.”
It was one of those warning shots that hit the victim, Colby Lee Pinegar, in the leg. After the perpetrators sped off, Pinegar was transferred to UAB hospital in Birmingham where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Battle was later arrested and charged with first-degree assault, a Class B felony in Alabama. He was booked into the Tuscaloosa County jail where he later posted the $30,000 bond and was released. At this time, no wildlife charges have been filed against Battle or his son according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
