Melodie Weeks let her four dogs out into her fenced backyard about midday. The weather was pleasant, and she was working on a science project with her day care children, so she let the dogs play outside for a few hours.
When she called the dogs in, Rosie was nowhere to be found. Weeks followed a trail of blood to her deck, where Rosie was huddled, barely showing signs of life.
Weeks' friend rushed Rosie to the vet while she stayed with the children. Rosie is a 1-year-old Miniature Pinscher - Chihuahua mix that Weeks and her family adopted last year,
An x-ray revealed the dog had been shot with a pellet. Her lung was punctured, and she had lost a lot of blood.
Given Rosie's grim outlook, Weeks and her husband chose euthanasia. The event left her shaken, drained and confused.
"It was horrible," she said. "Who would do this?"
Her neighborhood, near State Street and 24th Street NE, is a welcoming, positive place. She said gets along with her neighbors and has never heard anything negative.
According to a probable cause statement, a Salem police officer responded to investigate Rosie's death. During his investigation, a neighbor revealed that she'd heard another neighbor, identified as Shane Ola Rockwell, 48, shout an obscenity at the dogs around noon Monday. She heard a loud pop followed by a yelp.
The officer questioned Rockwell, who admitted to yelling at the dogs and owning a pellet gun but denied shooting Rosie. According to a police statement, Rockwell gave contradictory information while talking to the officer.
He shot the dog while it was inside its own fenced yard.
Rockwell was arrested on charges of first-degree aggravated animal abuse and recklessly endangering another person.
Before his scheduled arraignment Wednesday, Weeks and several others gathered outside the Marion County Circuit Court Annex. They carried signs reading "Justice for Rosie" and "No excuse for animal abuse."
She said she wants to ensure that whoever killed her dog gets prosecuted for a felony and can't go on to hurt another animal.
"He killed a family member," she said.
She told the parents of the children who attend her day care about the incident. Some of the parents talked to their children about the attack, so now most of them know, Weeks said. They spent the day taking turns holding a small stuffed animal resembling Rosie. Some feel sad. Others feel shaken.
"It's supposed to be a safe place," she said.
Weeks said she had met Rockwell a few times in the past, but never had any disagreements or confrontations with him. After talking to some of her neighbors, she learned he had complained about her dogs barking. She added that he knew about her running a certified preschool and day care out of her home.
"(The pellet) could've hit a child," she said. "I'm really angry he put a child at risk."
She said the parents are upset about the incident but have remained supportive. Her family will spend this weekend putting up a privacy fence on the side of her home for added security.
Rockwell's arraignment was rescheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday. He is currently on probation after pleading guilty to methamphetamine charges in 2013.
(KGW - June 23, 2016)
SHANE ROCKWELL'S (PARTIAL) PRIOR ARREST HISTORY
Mugshots.com ID: 22332506
Name: ROCKWELL, SHANE OLA
Race: WHITE
Gender: MALE
Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: BROWN
Arrest location: Marion County, Oregon
Lodged Date: 10/24/2012
Court Date: 10/25/2012
Release Date: N/A
Initial Bail: $1,030,000
Charges:
- UNLAWFUL DELIVERY METHAMPHETAMINE
- UNLAWFUL DELIVERY METHAMPHETAMINE
- UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE UNDER 1 OZ
- UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE UNDER 1 OZ
- FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM
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