California: Vallejo Man, Daryl Crockett, 69, Suspected Of Shooting Out Dog’s Eye With Slingshot

2017 Update: Vallejo man Daryl Crockett, 70, found guilty of animal cruelty for slingshot attack on dog


CALIFORNIA -- A Vallejo man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of shooting a dog with a slingshot, costing the animal one of its eyes, a Solano County sheriff’s deputy said.

The sheriff’s office’s Animal Control division responded to a report of animal cruelty Friday in the 200 block of Windsor Way in east Vallejo, Deputy Christine Castillo said.

They found a 5-year old Maltipoo – a cross between a Maltese and Toy or Miniature poodle – with a major eye injury that required emergency treatment and removal, Castillo said.

 

Animal Control recovered video from the homeowner’s security system that showed Daryl Crockett, 69, of Vallejo, shooting a piece of metal at the dog with a slingshot, Castillo said.

Just days after the dog's owner, Kathy Zander, installed security cameras around her home because she was fearful Crockett was trying to hurt her Maltese poodle mix, the cameras caught Crockett red-handed -- clearly leaning across his fence, aiming and shooting at her dog with a slingshot.

 

The video shows her dog, Tippy, scramble backward after the blow, and run disoriented back inside.

"I heard this blood-curdling cry. I ran to the door, and Tippy was just huddled up in a ball," said Zander, who took pictures of Tippy's injuries and went straight to the vet.

 

Crockett became angry that his neighbor’s dog was barking in mid-morning or early afternoon, Castillo said.

This was not Crockett's first run-in with the Zanders' dog.

A year and a half ago he distributed a letter to everyone in his Vallejo neighborhood, urging them to complain about Tippy's barking.


Kathy Zander says when she found out about the letter she went and
bought Tippy a bark control collar to appease Crockett

“It was an ongoing barking issue, but there were no recent complaints or contact between the two,” Castillo said.

The dog was in its owner’s yard when Crockett shot at it, Castillo said.

Law enforcement officials say Crockett had options.

"A conversation is probably the first step. After that they're able to look at any local ordinance, contact the sheriff's department," said Solano County Sgt. Rustin Banks.

When a reporter approached Crockett, he refused to speak.

Vallejo police and the Sheriff’s Office arrested Crockett Tuesday, Castillo said. He was booked into the Solano County Jail for felony animal cruelty.

If found guilty, Crockett could face up to a year behind bars and fines up to $20,000.

(CBS Local - Oct 7, 2015)