NHL defenceman and northern Vancouver Island native Clayton Stoner is expected to plead guilty in B.C. provincial court in Abbotsford today to some of the charges stemming from a grizzly bear hunt in 2013.
Stoner has never denied shooting a bear — known as Cheeky — on the central coast near Bella Bella — but his lawyers have disputed the allegation that Stoner obtained hunting permits improperly.
The Conservation Service alleges Stoner failed to meet Wildlife Act regulations requiring anyone eligible for a B.C. hunting licence to live in the province for six of the 12 months prior to the spring grizzly bear hunt.
Stoner, who was playing for the Minnesota Wild hockey team at the time, is charged with two counts of knowingly making a false statement to obtain a hunting licence.
He also faces separate counts of hunting out of season, hunting without a licence and unlawfully possessing dead wildlife.
This image of Clayton Stoner was published by the Vancouver Sun in 2013. At the time Stoner told the media, '[I] shot a grizzly bear with my licence while hunting with my father, uncle and a friend in May. I love to hunt and fish and will continue to do so.' (Vancouver Sun)
It remains unclear if Stoner will plead guilty to all the charges. Stoner is not legally required to attend the hearings and a lawyer can enter a plea on his behalf.
At a hearing in November prosecutor Jim Cryder told a provincial court judge that he spoke with Stoner's lawyer, who said Stoner planned to enter a guilty plea. A legal articling student who appeared on behalf of Stoner's lawyer, Marvin Stern, confirmed that intention to Judge Brent Hoy.
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