No Evidence Hunter Was Sprayed

There is no evidence to prove that a hunter was sprayed with herbicide by a cropduster near the Columbia River, a Federal Aviation Administration report says.

John Clough, 51, of Bainbridge Island, complained to the FAA that he was sickened by the herbicide after it drifted over him on Nov. 2 on the Wahluke Slope near the Columbia River.

Hough said he was disappointed by the FAA’s decision, which was released Wednesday.

“I’ve never been contacted by the FAA,” he said. “I felt it was strange if they were conducting an investigation that they never contacted me.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also looking into the case.

An FAA press release said there “is insufficient evidence in the way of witnesses, clothing tests or doctor’s reports to substantiate Hough’s claim that he was sprayed or that spray drifted onto him.”