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Arrest made in hunter, son’s shooting

Gregory Crofton, Tribune staff writer

GEORGETOWN – A third man believed to be involved in a shooting that occurred yards from a marijuana garden in El Dorado County was arrested Wednesday evening.

William Hunt, 43, and his 8-year-old son Matthew were shot the morning of Oct. 8 while hunting on family property.

Silvestre Gonzalez, brother-in-law of William Hunt, was found Wednesday in a car with two other Hispanics in Santa Rosa, Calif., and booked for attempted murder, possession of marijuana and stolen property. Deputies said he’s been living at his brother’s residence in Santa Rosa since the shooting.



Gonzalez was allegedly the owner of a marijuana garden where Hunt and his son were shot after stumbling upon it, investigators said.

Luis Lopez Arriaga, a Mexican citizen, and his son Mario Arriaga Lopez, 40, were also arrested in connection with the shooting. Arriaga was booked Oct. 11 for attempted murder. His son was charged for being an accessory to the crime.



The Hunts were treated for shotgun wounds and released near the end of October after being hospitalized for several weeks. William was shot in the abdomen, Matthew was hit in the head with a shotgun pellet and was in a coma for a period of time.

Hunt, his brother Donald, and two sons, were in the Blodget Forest area of El Dorado County hunting when the shooting occurred. William and his two sons had split from Donald when they stumbled upon a 1,250-plant marijuana garden that had recently been harvested. Hunt, a resident of Herald, Calif., reportedly did not know the garden existed.

“(Arriaga) had been hired by someone to tend that marijuana garden and had spent the whole summer living in it, manicuring it, tending to it and protecting it,” said Sgt. Marc Adams. “When the hunters came by, he was concerned about them ripping off the garden.”

Investigators said the shooting occurred about 100 yards from the garden where they found 1,250 harvested marijuana plants that have a street value of more than a million dollars. Near the plants they reportedly found a shotgun. They also said they located a rifle and BB gun the Hunts were carrying Oct. 8.

Gonzalez was arrested by Sonoma County and El Dorado County deputies. He is being held in Sonoma County Jail with no bail.


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