Hunter who mistakenly shot private investigator pleads guilty

A Taberg man accused of shooting a private investigator with a shotgun after mistaking him for a turkey pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in connection with the case.

William Wehnke, 51, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful manner of taking, a violation that alleges Wehnke was using the wrong type of ammunition for turkey hunting, according to Oneida County court documents.

Wehnke faces three years of probation and 100 hours of community service when he is sentenced Tuesday, March 9, in Oneida County Court.

Wehnke accidentally shot New Jersey private investigator Matthew Brady, 26, who was dressed in camouflage and lying on the ground when he was struck. The shotgun blast hit Brady in the side of his body, his back and his legs.

Brady had been sent to Taberg to investigate Wehnke's workers' compensation claims, police said at the time.

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Hunter rejects plea offer for mistaking investigator for turkey

An Annsville man accused of shooting a private investigator with a shotgun after mistaking him for a turkey earlier this year rejected a plea offer Wednesday in Oneida County Court.

The attorney for William Wehnke, 51, of Briarwood Lane, declined to disclose what kind of punishment prosecutors offered Wehnke if he pleaded guilty. Nevertheless, the attorney said his client has no plan to accept guilt at this time.

“It doesn’t matter what the offer is, because he isn’t going to plead to anything – it’s a hunting accident,” Assistant Public Defender Mark Curley said on Wehnke’s behalf. “No offer is a good offer if you’re innocent.”

Wehnke is facing charges of felony second-degree assault, misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and unlawful manner of taking, a violation that alleges Wehnke was using the wrong type of ammunition for turkey hunting.

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Man Shoots Private Investigator, Claims He Was Aiming For Turkey

An Annsville, N.Y., man says he was aiming for a turkey, not a private investigator following up on his workers’ compensation claim, before firing his shotgun earlier this year.

William Wehnke, 51, pleaded not guilty to assault charges in Oneida County Court Dec. 2, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch. Wehnke was arraigned on a three-count grand jury indictment that included felony second-degree assault and unlawful manner of taking, a violation that claims the man used an inappropriate type of ammunition for hunting turkey.

Wehnke’s indictment does not say he knowingly shot at a person, but accuses him of recklessness in causing injury to Matthew Brady.

In May, Wehnke said he spotted a turkey in a nearby cornfield and took aim and fired, hitting Brady with a shotgun blast in the side of his body, his back and legs. His injuries required surgery. Brady was investigating Wehnke at the time of the shooting to monitor his workers’ compensation claim, according to the report.

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