RYALS PLEADS GUILTY IN 2019 SHOOTING

Ryals pleads guilty in 2019 shooting

A Wapello County man is awaiting sentencing for drunkenly firing a rifle and wounding a woman inside her home instead of a deer he’d hoped to kill. Court records say 35-year-old Lee Ryals pleaded guilty Wednesday to reckless use of a firearm and being a felon possessing a firearm. Authorities say 73-year-old Janet Watson was cleaning her stove on January 4 of last year near Ottumwa when she heard a loud noise and felt pain in the back of her head. She drove herself to a local hospital, where doctors removed a bullet. Law enforcement says Ryals was drunk when he pulled the trigger on the deck of a camper where he’d been staying. Sentencing is scheduled for October 29.

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