December 30, 2013
From GoLackawanna.com
DALLAS — Gary Conklin blasted a man in the head with a shotgun as the victim sat by campfire 32 years ago. Conklin now is charged with firearm violations while hunting not far from the site of that 1981 murder.
Conklin, 54, of Detweiler Lane, White Haven, was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and game law violations after being confronted by deputy wildlife conservation officers near Caplos Road in White Haven on the afternoon of Dec. 14.
Conklin also was charged with having a loaded firearm on a motorized vehicle and using a .22-caliber rifle to hunt deer in violation of the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code.
Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers Kenneth Pfeil and Patrick McElhenny were on routine patrol when they observed Conklin allegedly hunting with a loaded rifle from an ATV on the last day of the Pennsylvania regular firearms deer season, the office said.
Conklin pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on what would have been the opening day of his trial in February 1982 on charges of murdering Gerald Volovnik Jr., 20, of Sellersville, and reckless endangerment, according to Times Leader archives.
Conklin was sentenced to nine to 20 years in state prison on the murder charge and a concurrent term of one to two years on the reckless endangerment conviction. It could not be determined on Monday when he was released from prison.