Dexter Rogers, 45, charged with animal cruelty after driving to neighbor's house and then shooting to death their dog, which was standing in their front yard

SOUTH CAROLINA -- A man was arrested and charged with shooting and killing a family’s dog in Spartanburg County.

Spartanburg County Environmental Control Director Jamie Nelson stated that Dexter Rogers, 45, of Spartanburg, was charged with ill treatment of animals stemming from an incident at a home on Bethlehem Church Road on August 27.

Rogers drove into the front yard of a neighbor’s residence, took out a shotgun and fatally shot the dog before pointing the gun at two people standing in front of the house, according to an incident report from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.

The homeowner told deputies the dog made no attempt to run toward Rogers and has never shown aggression toward others.

Jessica O’Fair, 27, said she’s not sure why Rogers came to their home to shoot their family dog, Spartacus. She said Rogers used to live at the home along Bethlehem Church Road before she and her family moved in.

“When we got home, Spartacus got outside on our property to use the bathroom. A couple of seconds later, the man pulled up on our property,” O’Fair said. “We felt like he was prepared to kill. … I saw Spartacus jump back when he got hit, and then he pointed the gun at us and that’s when he said, ‘That’s what he gets.’”

Nelson said that the dog, a shepherd-pit mix named “Sparky” died as a result of the shooting.

Rogers was transported to the Spartanburg County Detention center where he was later released. He also was charged with two counts of aggravated assault as a result of a related incident.

(WSPA - Sept 4, 2015)