Robbie Joe Marcher's father testifies during trial

EPHRATA — Carl Marcher told the jury the day Earl Romig was shot was marked with intermittent fog.

Carl Marcher, Robbie Joe Marcher’s father, testified in his son’s trial.

Robbie Joe Marcher, 40, Moses Lake, is accused of shooting Romig, an off duty Grant County Sheriff’s deputy, on Jan. 10, 2008. He is on trial for assault in the first degree, unlawful hunting of big game in the second degree and failing to summon assistance.

Carl Marcher told the jury, he drove with his son to the orchard so the older man could hunt deer. He brought two 30-06 rifles.

“Three days before that, I was having trouble hitting,” he said. “I figured my sight was off so I took the other gun with me .. I was going to try my gun one more time and see if it was going to hit or not and if it wasn’t I was going to use the other one.”

The older man was one of 20 people selected to take place in a “damage hunt” in the area. Carl Marcher received permission from the property owner to hunt there, bringing his son to help him gut and carry any deer he killed, he said, adding he had trouble with his hands.

“When I was talking to the guy, he told me they’re getting rid of the deer, so they won’t be eating his apples,” he said. “That’s (what) his state permit is for.”

Both he and his son wore orange jackets that day and said his son was wearing a cloth camouflage baseball cap. Romig testified the shooter was wearing a “trucker’s hat,” later confirming it as having a foam front with a mesh back.

Carl Marcher hunted the area about two or three times before, he said. On the day Earl Romig was shot, Robbie Marcher dropped his father off near an oil tank on the property around 2:30 p.m., taking the truck to park it in the distance.

Then Carl Marcher walked toward the residence on the property to set up near a stand of poplar trees. About half an hour after he started hunting, Robbie Marcher came up to him, telling him he got the truck stuck in a rut near an apple tree. They both went to the truck, put a chain on and drove away from the area, the father said.

When they got to the corner, Carl Marcher got out, walking back to where he was hunting. He said he didn’t see any other hunters in the area and didn’t hear any shots as he waited for deer.

As the sun started to set, and it got close to 5 p.m., Carl Marcher headed back to the truck, he said. When he arrived, his son and the extra gun weren’t there.

“Well we go up there and up in the hill there. There are always coyotes running up there and I thought maybe he’d shoot one,” Carl Marcher said.

So he got into the pickup, started it up, and drove about 20 yards down the road and saw his son, stopped and picked him up. Before getting into the car, Robbie Marcher unloaded the rifle. His father testified he didn’t see whether the round was fired.

Then the two men drove to the end of the road, parked and took the chain off. Carl Marcher said he saw a red truck and a white truck stopped near the intersection during the time his son removed the chain.

During the entire time he was in the field, Carl Marcher didn’t hear any gun shots or screams for help.

As the men headed home, Carl Marcher said his son received a phone call, adding he didn’t find out until later it was Robbie Marcher’s wife calling after she heard about Romig on a police scanner.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ed Owens pressed Carl Marcher about a statement written by Grant County Detective Kim Cook. Carl Marcher explained he had a hard time reading, so he couldn’t write the statement.

Carl Marcher initially told the jury he didn’t recognize the statement.

He answered a question from Owens, about whether law enforcement would make up things for him to sign, with “I don’t know.”

When Owens questioned him about a section in the statement saying there was little to no fog, Carl Marcher testified he never said that.

Owens asked whether Carl Marcher remembered telling investigators about picking up his son about a 150 yards down the road, the other man answered he told them it was 20 yards.

Defense attorney Brett Billingsley questioned Carl Marcher about his ability to read the statement, and how his son acted when he got into the truck.

Carl Marcher explained he left school in the eighth grade. When Billingsley asked him to read the word, “volunteered,” he couldn’t. The defense attorney continued by asking whether police told him to read his statement. Robbie Marcher’s father answered they didn’t.

Billingsley also asked whether Robbie Marcher was acting agitated or nervous when he met him on the road or was in the truck. Carl Marcher answered no.

He also confirmed Robbie Marcher was a good hunter, with about four or five deer in his house, adding he didn’t think his son was an irresponsible hunter. Carl Marcher testified he taught his son three shots in a row was a distress call and taught Robbie Marcher to help people.

When Billingsley asked if the presence of vehicles parked at the intersection surprised him, Carl Marcher testified it didn’t.

“Usually there’s hunters there when I come out all of the time,” Carl Marcher said, adding this was a popular spot for hunting.

Carl Marcher also confirmed he wouldn’t help his son conceal a crime if he thought Robbie Marcher committed one.