Jones County officials say Edge was taken into custody Monday on two counts of felony cruelty to animals, two counts of misdemeanor larceny, two counts of misdemeanor injury to personal property, and two counts of misdemeanor removal of a electronic tracking collar.
Officers said Matthew Eaton was hunting in the area with his two Walker Fox Hounds (also referred to as American Fox Hounds in another article) on Saturday morning. The two dogs were tracking a deer about a mile away when he heard three gunshots coming from the dogs direction. Following that, two hunters appeared from the woods.
"We asked them if they shot at the deer. One of the guys who was sitting in the closer field said that his buddy had seen the deer but he didn't shoot at it, he shot something else," Eaton said.
According to Eaton both of the dogs' GPS collars were removed and buried in the mud. He found the two dogs dead bodies close by.
"One of them had been shot twice and one of them was shot once. It was terrible. They're part of the family. They're hunting companions that we've been hunting with since they were puppies," Eaton said.
"You can't just replace them. They're more than a dog. I just want him to get punished for what he's done. I just don't want him to be stopped so he doesn't do it again to someone else's dog," Eaton said.
Edge’s bond was set at $20,000 secured and he’s schedule to go before a judge on Tuesday.
Authorities say Edge did admit to killing two hunting dogs in the Croatan National Forest on Saturday.
Deputies say they learned of a GMC Yukon in the area and were able to track down the owner who said Edge had borrowed the vehicle to go hunting.
When confronted, Edge told deputies that where he’s from in Tennessee it’s legal to shoot a dog that interrupts your hunt.
He is currently serving as Military Police aboard Camp Lejeune.
(WNCN - Nov 17, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment