According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office the attacks happened Saturday and then again Sunday morning. Four dogs were identified in the attacks and owners of three of the four dogs have been identified.
Cannon said Lloyd Leon Burch and David G. Smith will both be charged with having an animal at large, allowing an attack by a dog and maintaining a nuisance. He said those are class B misdemeanors and could result in up to six months in jail and $1,000 in fines. But authorities will also be working to get restitution for the owner.
Cannon said they are still working on finding the owner of the fourth dog, which is described as a black pit bull.
"We do have some information we are still looking at but nothing we have been able to connect the dots on," Cannon said. The other dogs in the attack were described by deputies on scene as a yellow lab mix, a black collie-looking dog and a Bernese mountain dog.
The sheep that were killed were worth $11,500, according to Cannon. Raising sheep is a large part of the family's livelihood and this is a big loss for them.
“It’s just heart breaking because that’s our paycheck, gone,” says Deana Jepperson.
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| I hope Deana Jepperson doesn't just think of these sheep as 'paychecks'. Yes, we eat livestock animals, but they can feel pain and terror - no different than if your cat or dog were attacked and killed by a dog. |
Cannon said the owners of the dogs have been allowed to keep their animals but during the Sunday morning attack the sheep owner shot one of the dogs and the dog's owner had to put the dog down because of the injuries it suffered. The owner of the sheep was well within his rights to protect his livestock, Cannon added.
(Fox13 - Nov 15, 2012)
