Complaint sought against trooper in hunting accident

By Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondent

State environmental police are seeking a criminal complaint against a state trooper accused of shooting his neighbor in Norton while hunting on New Year’s Eve, state officials said Thursday.

Trooper John Bergeron, 50, of Norton, allegedly mistook the tail of Cheryl Blair’s golden retriever for that of a deer and accidentally shot Blair once with a rifle while hunting in the woods behind her home.

“A criminal complaint was filed in Attleboro District Court last week charging one count of careless or negligent use of a weapon causing injury or death to another,” said Reginald Zimmerman, of the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Blair’s lawyer, Patrick T. Jones, said Thursday that Blair is continuing to recover from injuries and infection, and that she is seeking compensation and damages.