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Lacombe man charged in hunting death released from police custody

A man charged in the death of a hunting partner last weekend has been released from custody.

A man charged in the death of a hunting partner last weekend has been released from custody.

Herbert Stanley Meister, 57, of Lacombe was released on several conditions on Friday, including $10,000 no cash deposit following a show cause hearing in provincial court.

Meister is charged with criminal negligence causing death with use of a firearm.

The charge carries a maximum life in jail sentence and a minimum of four years in jail upon conviction.

A charge of being in possession of a weapon while prohibited was withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Tony Bell before the bail review started.

Bell said his office receive confirmation from the RCMP that a previous prohibition period against the accused had expired.

The Crown opposed the release.

A court-ordered ban prohibits any information heard during the hearing from being published or broadcast until the trial process has finished.

Judge Jim Mitchell heard that only a small amount of disclosure has been provided so far to defence lawyer Will Willms.

Meister was ordered to return to court on Jan. 8 to enter a plea.

Meister must also report weekly to police, have no contact with two other men who were hunting at the time and can’t leave Alberta.

Philip Moore, 55, of Bentley was shot in the abdomen while he was hunting with three others in a heavily wooded area about 13 km west of Bentley on Sunday shortly after 4 p.m.

It’s alleged that one of the hunters mistook Moore, who was 300 metres down a cut line, for a deer and fired two shots with a .308-calibre rifle.

Police and emergency personnel got the call about 4:17 p.m. that a man had been shot.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel.

Police said earlier the land where the incident occurred is owned by one of the hunters.

jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com