Bell trial opens in W.Va.
By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - An African-American man testifying in a civil rights case Tuesday said he believes a white man who confronted him with a gun in a field two years ago would have pulled the trigger had their argument over hunting privileges intensified, according to testimony in court Tuesday.
Clyde M. Eggleton said he was convinced the man was about to fire his gun because of the "intensity of the eyes."
Eggleton's testimony came in the first day of David Lee Bell Jr.'s trial. Bell was indicted on three charges of wanton endangerment involving a firearm and three counts of violation of the civil rights of another person, according to Jefferson County Circuit Court records.
The case stemmed from an incident on Nov. 25, 1998, when Eggleton and his two sons were hunting in a field near the intersection of Wiltshire Road and Leetown Pike west of Charles Town.