Clayton Stoner is facing five separate charges for illegally hunting a grizzly bear in British Columbia back in 2013. Stoner is reportedly eager to close the door on the matter and plans to plead guilty to the charges.
As reported by CBC.ca:
Prosecutor Jim Cryder told a provincial court judge that he spoke with Stoner’s lawyer, who, along with Stoner, did not appear in court.
“Mr. Stoner, through his counsel, would like to enter a plea, as I understand, as soon as possible and dispose of the matter,” Cryder told the judge.
Stoner 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.
It’s unclear what kind of punishment Stoner might face for pleading guilty to the various charges and it’s difficult to determine when this situation might wrap up. The report suggests it will take an undetermined amount of time to reach an agreement between the two sides.
It was previously reported that charges can carry a potential maximum fine between $50,000 and $250,000. Considering Stoner is currently making $3.25 million a year and is signed through the 2017-18 season, he should have no issue paying a fine.