The Ontario government says a man has been fined $3,000 after a bullet he fired at a squirrel travelled past his yard and narrowly missed an employee of a Huron County township.
The Ministry of Natural Resources says the man from St. Helens pleaded guilty to careless hunting and is banned from having any hunting licences for a year.
The ministry says that on June 5, conservation officers were told that a Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh employee was nearly hit by a bullet that struck the town hall in St. Helens.
An investigation concluded that a man had fired a rifle at a squirrel in his yard, shooting in the direction of the main intersection in town.
The ministry says the bullet passed “within feet” of the township employee before striking the building.
The case was heard in a Goderich, Ont., court in August.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.