Winona area man to be charged for allegedly shooting and killing neighbor's dog

MINNESOTA -- A Winona-area man will be charged on Wednesday for allegedly killing a neighbor's dog last Friday. The Winona County Sheriff's Office completed its investigation into the incident on Tuesday.

Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said deputies were called to the unincorporated community of Bethany on Friday night after a call saying that a dog had been shot and injured. By the time deputies arrived, the dog, named Bandit, had died.

Ganrude said the suspect, whose identity has not been released, admitted at the scene that he shot the dog with a pellet gun.

While the suspect will not be charged until Wednesday, Ganrude said he recommended charging him with the felony charge of unjustified shooting of a pet, which carries a maximum sentence of more than a year in jail.

"We take these cases seriously and investigate them to the best of our ability and hold people accountable," said Ganrude. "We shouldn't have people out there shooting animals and in this case it doesn't seem like there was any justified reason to be shot."

Ganrude said the suspect was not the owner of the dog.

(KTTC - Feb 25, 2015)