CAMAS, Wash. -- An Evergreen School District teacher appeared in court Thursday, charged with manslaughter in the first degree in the shooting death of a man during a hunting expedition earlier this month.

Detectives believe Craig Sjoberg, of Camas, killed Juan rojas Cortez, of Tacoma, while he was picking bear grass in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on November 1.

Cortez' body was found in the Skookum Meadows area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Hunters said they saw Sjoberg in the area at the time and, according to court documents obtained by KGW Thursday, he mentioned that he had fired his gun once but said he was aiming at a bull elk and missed.

"The individual was described as leaving the Forest Service 150 Spur Road in a white sports utility vehicle, possibly a Jeep Liberty, shortly after admitting to having fired his rifle," the affidavit said.

It went on to explain that a sergeant on the case received a voice mail on November 4 that said, "This is Craig Sjoberg... I might be the person that you're thinking about in that um, shooting incident..." and it went on to give a cell phone number for investigators to return the call.

Sjoberg teaches seventh grade math at Shahala Middle School. He's been there six years and was placed on paid administrative leave when the investigation began.

Prosecutors told KGW Thursday that they believe Sjoberg knew he had shot someone.

"It's a mistake that results in time in state prison and those are considerations that defendants take into their minds when they are released so that's why I think it's important to keep him here," said prosecutor Peter Banks. Sjoberg's attorney did not comment.

 More: Read court affidavit

The 14-page affidavit for search warrant also suggests that several hunters in the area saw a man matching Sjoberg's physical description and his vehicle on the day of the fatal shooting. Witnesses indicate, the man was hunting alone and was seen leaving the area. 

One hunter explained, "It appeared as if the guy did not want to talk and he wanted to get out of the area quickly."

Detectives obtained a warrant to search Sjoberg's home and seized a rifle, unspent rounds and a hunter-orange and camouflage backpack. They said the bullet recovered from Rojas' body was fired from a firearm of the same classification as the rifle seized from the defendant's residence.

Sjoberg has been scheduled to make his plea in the case on November 24.