ROCKLAND (AP) — A Maine lobsterman has pleaded not guilty to charges he shot a fellow Matinicus Island lobsterman in the neck over the summer.
Vance Bunker pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Knox County Superior Court to two counts of elevated aggravated assault for allegedly shooting Chris Young in a dispute on July 20.
He also pleaded not guilty to two lesser charges.
Police say the shooting stemmed from a dispute over whether Bunker's son-in-law should be allowed to put his lobster traps around the remote island, located about 20 miles off Rockland.
Bunker has been banned from Matinicus since the shooting, but a judge on Wednesday said he can return - but only to retrieve lobster gear and only if accompanied by a law enforcement official.
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