BOSTON (AP) - State environmental police are seeking criminal charges against
a state trooper who was hunting on New Year's Eve when he accidentally shot his
neighbor walking her dog.
Authorities say they filed a complaint against Trooper John Bergeron last
week on one count of careless or negligent use of a weapon causing injury or
death.
Meanwhile, the woman who was shot, 66-year-old Cheryl Blair of Norton, has
sued Bergeron and the owner of wooded property where the incident occurred
seeking damages and compensation for medical bills.
Blair spent two months in the hospital and required multiple surgeries.
Police have said that the off-duty Bergeron mistook Blair's dog for a deer
and shot Blair once in the leg.
Bergeron denies negligence and has previously expressed remorse for the
shooting.
