Georgia: "Please pray for my precious cat, Elvis. He was attacked by a pit bull & he’s gonna have his right leg amputated tomorrow"

GEORGIA -- Lucy Yarbrough Sellers posted on Facebook November 30, 2017 ·

Please pray for my precious cat, Elvis.

He was attacked by a pit bull & he’s gonna have his right leg amputated tomorrow. I’m just beside myself. So expensive, but he is my baby.

Two guys were chasing after the dog, but she got Elvis’ leg before they could catch it. Don’t know who they are, never seen them.

Called the city police, they put me through to Animal Control, no answer. Called Humane Society & they need the address of these guys!

I don’t know who they are, but they apologized when they got their dog. I think they should be responsible for my vet bill. I’m just so upset by all this.

My baby’s suffering and that dog should have been on a leash! And, the vet found a pellet in one of his legs & 2 BBs in both his front legs!

Mean people in this neighborhood. Elvis will certainly be an inside cat from now on!!

(October 2017) Louisiana: Kyre West, 19, arrested and charged with Felony Animal Cruelty

LOUISIANA -- A 19-year-old man admitted he fatally shot a beloved Uptown street cat with a pellet gun after New Orleans police caught up with him using surveillance camera footage and a database of information sheets that cops fill out after stopping and questioning people, according to records filed in court Friday.

Kyre West, who was jailed Thursday on a count of aggravated cruelty to animals, [claimed] he did not have sights on his weapon and was unsure if he would strike the cat known as Blackie when he fired at it, according to police.

Police first learned about Blackie's slaying after an unknown caller reported seeing an injured cat outside Zeus' Place animal shelter in the 4600 block of Freret Street on Wednesday. Blackie was taken to a veterinary hospital but died there.

Investigators reviewed Zeus' Place's surveillance camera footage and noticed an older-model Chevrolet Corsica in the area.

One camera angle along the 2500 block of Cadiz Street showed the Corsica's driver point a long gun out of the driver's side window toward the cat, which suddenly fell on its side shortly before the car drove away. 

Police also established that the Corsica's rear passenger window had been shattered and covered with a light-colored towel or bag.

Investigators then searched a police database of so-called field interview cards, which contain the names and personal information of people questioned by cops.

That database indicated the Corsica had been stopped Sept. 20 at Soniat and South Robertson streets, a few blocks from where Blackie was later shot. West was driving the car, which had the same shattered window, police said. He also matched the physical appearance of the man seen in the Zeus' Place surveillance video, according to police.

Police stopped West as he drove the Corsica on Thursday in Gert Town. He was taken to a police station for questioning and confessed to shooting Blackie, police said in court records.

Criminal District Court Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set West's bail at $25,000 Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn said West does not appear to have any prior felony convictions or arrests.

In a statement Thursday, the Louisiana SPCA Humane Law Enforcement office said a tip it had received also led to West's arrest. The group said a caller contacted it with information about the Corsica seen in the surveillance footage.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Kyre West
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 02/12/1998
Arrest Age: 19
Date:10/05/2017
Time: 11:38 PM
Location: Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Charges
#1 AGG CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
#2 HOLD
NOTES: DNA BEFORE RELEASE

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO [NO SOUND]:

(The Advocate - Oct 6, 2017)

Georgia: Deputies searching for person who shot, paralyzed little dog

GEORGIA -- A dog found shot with a pellet gun in Forsyth County is showing everyone he has a lot of fight despite being paralyzed.

A handful of people have stepped in to rehabilitate him and hopefully allow him to walk again.

   

 

Channel 2’s Wendy Corona learned a pellet from a pellet gun hit 4-year-old Ryker in the spine last month in Forsyth County.

Chris Davenport first laid eyes on Ryker, the dog, in mid-July as he was getting ready to leave for work.

"He was just leaving a trail of blood from his feet trailing on the concrete," Davenport said. "I think he knew I was there to help and not harm him."

Davenport scooped the pup up and took him to the vet, where they learned the dog was shot with a pellet gun.

An X-ray showed where the pellet is in his spine, causing him to drag his hind legs. With the help of Two Tailz Rescue, however, he is rehabilitating.

A wheelchair was donated to Ryker, but his caretakers have a bigger wish for this unstoppable dog with a can-do spirit.

The rescue shelter hopes to raise approximately $3,000 to send Ryker to see a neurologist specialist. Then, the shelter could learn if the pellet can be removed from the dog and he can walk again.

Authorities are searching for the person who shot the dog in the back leaving him paralyzed.

A $500 reward is being offered in the case. The number to call at Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is 770-888-7308.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WSB - August 3, 2017)

Florida: Paul Schulze, 61, accused of shooting his neighbor's dog with BB gun while it was on its own property

FLORIDA -- A Palm Bay man is accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog with a BB gun.

Paul Schulze, 61, was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty, according to Palm Bay Police.

 

Police said Schulze was sitting on his back porch at 451 Almansa St NE in Palm Bay Thursday afternoon when he took aim at his neighbor’s German Shepherd. 

The dog was on its owner’s property behind a fence when police say Shulze shot it, hitting it in its leg.

The dog is expected to recover.

Schulze didn't say why he decided to shoot the dog.

My guess is the dog was barking and he decided to take a pot shot at it to shut it up, not thinking a BB pellet would actually do more than 'ping' the dog - and not realizing that that was animal cruelty, regardless of level of injury. 

Or he might have been bored and did it to amuse himself, which is more worrisome especially since he and his wife Brenda run a homeschooling business. Hunting legally is one thing; shooting neighbor's pets is quite another.

  

  

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Paul Walter Schulze
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 6'00"
Weight: 240 lbs
Birthdate: 07/28/1955
Arrest Age: 61
Block: 400 Almansa St NE
City: Palm Bay, Florida 32907
07/27/2017
Time: 3:30 PM
Arresting Agency: Palm Bay Police Department
Total Bond: $2000
Location: Brevard County, Florida
Charge
#1 Animal Cruelty-Felony-Cause Cruel Death Pain & Suffering - FELONY
BOND: $2000

(MyNews13 -  July 28, 2017)

Indiana: Woman's 1-year-old Mastiff shot dozens of times with BBs and pellets while in its own fenced yard. Shots came from the meth house next door

INDIANA -- An Indiana woman is trying to find out who left her puppy's skin riddled with holes from BBs and pellets – with one of the tiny projectiles even lodged underneath the dog's eyelid.

Hayden Howard says her 100-pound English Mastiff pup, named Jackson, was in her fenced-in back yard in Seymour when the attack happened sometime over the weekend.

She told WXIN that Jackson, who is less than a year old, seemed to be acting like nothing was wrong Saturday. But then Hayden noticed something strange on Jackson’s body.

“He had some marks on him and we thought they were bug bites and stuff,” Howard said. “Well then Saturday night, I started noticing holes on him.”

 

When Hayden took Jackson to the vet Monday, she was astonished to learn that Jackson’s body was covered with wounds from BBs and pellets.

“They were just kind of looking at all the little holes and stuff and the more they shaved him, they just kept finding more and more,” she said. “I was in shock, I didn’t even know what to think.”

 

Howard says she eventually had to go out into the waiting room as the vet removed 20 BBs and seven pellets from Jackson’s skin.

“There was one under his eyelid, there was one in his ear, one in his knee, they were all over, underneath of him,” she said. “They came out there and he handed me this little cup and showed me all these little BBs and I just didn’t know what to say or what to do,” Howard said.

As if the shock of learning Jackson had been shot 27 times with BBs and pellets wasn’t enough, Hayden said a Seymour police officer told her there were probably twice that many projectiles fired at her dog.

 

“Twenty-some pulled out of him, twenty-some that were probably still in him, and then twenty-some that probably hit him and bounced off,” she said. “So he said there were probably over sixty-some that actually were shot at him.”


PERSON WHO SHOT JACKSON LIVES NEXT DOOR TO HER FAMILY

Seymour police investigating at Howard's home said they found evidence indicating the direction the BBs and pellets were fired from. Investigators found several BBs lodged in a tree on the property. They followed the angle and direction of fire to the house next door to Howard’s, in the 400 block of Vehslage Road.

Police obtained a warrant and found evidence Wednesday morning that they say could be connected to the case. Police declined to reveal what that physical evidence was.

“Additionally, officers and detectives located methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia,” said Seymour Police Detective Sergeant C.J. Foster.

One man in the house next door was arrested on drug possession charges.

When asked who shot the dog next door, Foster said the man refused to answer without an attorney. No arrests have been made in connection to the animal cruelty case. But, Foster said, they’re still following evidence in the investigation.

“We’ll see if some of that evidence can possibly be sent to the Indiana State Police lab for examination, and potentially do some follow-up interviews and go from that point,” Foster said.

“I don’t know what to think because my neighbors have been really good to him (Jackson). Their daughter walks him,” Howard said. “I mean, they’ve been good to him so I don’t know what to think about that.”

While the case is being investigated, Howard is happy to report that Jackson seems to be recovering just fine.

“He’s good,” she said. “He’s well, he’s home taking medicine and everything.”

A reward being offered for information in the case had grown to $500 as of Wednesday evening. Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call Seymour Police at (812) 522-1234.

(Fox8 - April 20, 2017)

California: Michael Scott,29, who terrorized his neighbors by killing their pets, gets six years in prison

CALIFORNIA -- A convicted dog killer received a maximum term of six years four months in jail for killing his 9-year-old neighbor's dog and shooting his neighbor's cat.

Michael Scott, 29, of Oroville, was convicted after a jury trial in December of 2016 for two counts of animal cruelty and two weapon enhancements.

After that conviction, Scott pled no contest to two additional felony counts of willfully failing to appear in court and submitting false medical documents to the court.

The 9-year-old neighbor had received the dog as a present when she was five after surviving cancer. Superior Court Judge Michael Deems said, “the defendant’s crimes demonstrated great violence, cruelty, and viciousness.”

Judge Deems denied the defendant’s request for probation noting the defendant showed “no remorse” and “poses a danger to society.”

Scott shot his next door neighbors’ small female Jack Russell Terrier named Roxy repeatedly with a pellet gun before eventually killing the dog.

Scott said that he was upset that the dog would come into his back yard and bark at him.

RIP Roxy

Court documents showed that  Scott cornered Roxy and shot her multiple times, sometimes at point-blank range. 

Roxy was able to escape from this attack and returned to her owner’s house, where Michael Scott again cornered her, placed her in a blue bin, and threw her over the fence back onto his property. 

Roxy died in Scott’s garage, where he continued to shoot her to death. 

He later threw Roxy’s body into the Thermalito Forebay.

Scott was also convicted for shooting neighborhood cats, which Animal Control said stopped after the defendant's arrest and seizure of his weapon.

(KRCTV - Mar 23, 2017)

Earlier:

• California: Michael Scott convicted for fatally shooting neighbor’s Jack Russell; he also admitted to shooting and killing several neighborhood cats

Texas: Arturo May, 45, accused of shooting and killing two pet cats

TEXAS -- Their reactions were mixed with shock, anger and sadness when the first cat was killed.

Her name was Sox; she was just 10 months old and described as affectionate.

"Sox," says neighbor Cynthia Plemons. "Ever since she was born, they always hung out in my backyard."

 

But then -- less than a week later, this past Tuesday -- a second cat named Boomerang was killed in a neighboring backyard.

"He had a shot to his head," says Holly Licari, who found the animal deceased.

Harris County investigators say 45-year-old Arturo May shot both animals to death with a pellet gun.

The neighbors who took care of the cats, and several others as their own, in the Baytown neighborhood where it happened say they suspected May after he moved into a house just two weeks ago.

But they had no proof until Plemons witnessed someone from May's backyard shoot at other cats Tuesday.

"I saw one of them with the gun going back into the house and I said, 'Oh my gosh. He just shot at a cat,' recalls Plemons. "Because I saw the cats scatter across the fence."

Aside from the killings of the two cats, the neighbors are angry because the shooter put more than just the animals in danger.

"He was shooting with a pellet gun," Licari said. "I have my grandkids that eat in the kitchen. He lives right behind me and it could've gone through the window and hit them."

May remains in jail on a $61,000 bond.

He faces three counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals.

(KPRC Houston - Mar 30, 2017)

Louisiana: Ex-cop Ben Bearden, 45, jailed after fatally shooting his neighbor's beloved COCKAPOO named Jack, police say

LOUISIANA -- A former Gretna police officer is behind bars Monday (Feb. 27) after authorities said he fatally shot a neighbor's dog with a pellet gun.

Ben Roger Bearden, 45, was arrested and booked with cruelty to an animal, according to a statement from the Gretna Police Department.

Gretna police began an investigation into the death of a male Cockapoo named Jack on Feb. 19, according to Gretna police spokesman Anthony Christiana.

The incident occurred in the 1000 block of 6th Street, and officers obtained video surveillance from several different locations which revealed the shot "could not have come from anywhere" but Bearden's residence.

Jack sustained a shot to the back of his right leg with a .177 pellet, authorities said. The pellet entered Jack's heart, and police say the angle and direction of the shot came from Bearden's residence. 

Bearden and his wife have filed "numerous complaints" about Jack for his barking, police said.

Bearden's arrest comes after authorities eliminated other suspects who were firing BB guns in the neighborhood over the last several weeks near 6th Street.

Bearden resigned from the police department five years ago due to what Gretna police called "personal matters."

Bearden is being held in jail on a $10,000 bond.

(NOLA - February 27, 2017)

Alaska: Jin Bong So, who came to the USA more than 32 years ago, says he didn't know how to call animal control about a barking dog, so he shot it

ALASKA -- Anchorage school teacher Denise Rosales said that for weeks she couldn't figure out what exactly had caused small, bullet-like, bloody wounds on her 2-year-old Wheaten Terrier named Lenny.

"It was over a period of time. It wasn't just once that our dog had an injury and I didn't know what from," Rosales told an Anchorage judge in court last week. "I even asked my husband, 'I wonder if he got shot?'"

It turned out, Lenny had gotten shot while out in their backyard in a neighborhood near Lake Otis Parkway and East Dowling Road. Rosales' neighbor Jin Bong So admitted in court to firing his pellet gun at Lenny, a dog that he said barked nonstop.

Speaking in Korean and through an interpreter Wednesday, So said he lived in a duplex, between two barking dogs.

"My common sense told me, if a dog barked, (the) owner would stop the dog and would feel sorry about this," So said. "But it did not happen. I could not bear it any longer."

Rosales disputed her neighbor's account of Lenny's barking habits. She said she had never had any confrontations with her neighbors in the past about the family's dog.

On a day after the mysterious wounds had started to appear on Lenny's shoulders, Rosales said she was standing in her backyard looking at a bird on the fence when So came out and shot at it. She then realized that perhaps her neighbor had been firing at Lenny too, and called the police.

Lenny has lived through the injuries, Rosales said, but she told Judge Jennifer Henderson that the dog now cowers at any loud noise, "including bubble wrap, he's terrified of the pop sound."

She showed Henderson a 34-second video of her blond-haired dog hobbling in her home after being shot in the shoulder.

So was charged in September with three misdemeanors: animal cruelty, criminal mischief and unlawful use or possession of firearms. (Under city law, an air gun falls under the definition of a firearm, while under state law it does not). So pleaded no contest on Wednesday to all three charges.

His attorney, Chris Provost, told the judge that 69-year-old So, born and raised in Korea, moved to the United States, gained citizenship and had been a productive member of the community, working as a personal care provider and with only a charge of driving without a license on his record, from 32 years ago.

His attorney insisted that partially because of language and culture barriers, So "did not know" he could call animal control for help. He also insisted that So "did not know" that the pellet gun's projectiles would penetrate the dog's skin and "did not know" it was illegal to use a pellet gun within city limits.

I guess he also "did not know" he could walk over to his neighbor's house and ask them to keep their dog from barking so much?

"Had he known these community norms, it would have never come to this," Provost said. He said So was fired from his job because of the charges.

But city prosecutor Mike Shaffer asked the judge to send a strong message that So's actions were not acceptable and subject to consequences. Not only did So shoot a weapon within an Anchorage neighborhood but he did so to "deliberately shoot a defenseless dog," Shaffer said, both harming Rosales and endangering public safety.

"This wasn't a violent dog," he said. "This wasn't a vicious dog. This was a dog that the defendant felt was barking too much."

Judge Henderson ultimately found So guilty on all three charges. She sentenced him to 15 days in jail with more than 300 days suspended and three years probation. She fined him $1,500 and had him pay Lenny's vet bill of $250.80.

(ADN - Dec 12, 2016)

California: Michael Scott convicted for fatally shooting neighbor’s Jack Russell; he also admitted to shooting and killing several neighborhood cats

CALIFORNIA -- An Oroville man was convicted Monday in a case where he was accused of fatally shooting his neighbor’s dog with a pellet gun, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced.

A Butte County jury found Michael Scott, 29, guilty of two counts of animal abuse with the use of a deadly weapon stemming from the killing of the dog and shooting of a cat in his Thermalito neighborhood, according to a press release issued Tuesday.

Prosecutors said evidence at trial showed Scott shot his next-door neighbor’s Jack Russell terrier repeatedly with a high-powered pellet gun on Sept. 30, 2015.

Scott allegedly chased the dog named Roxy around his backyard, cornered her, and began to shoot her multiple times.

Roxy was tortured to death by Michael Scott

The dog was able to escape to her owner’s home, where Scott allegedly cornered her again, placed her in a blue bin and threw her over a fence back onto his property.

The dog was ultimately killed in Scott’s garage, where he allegedly continued to shoot her to death.

The dog’s body was never found, but prosecutors said testimony suggested Scott — upset with his neighbors — admitted to throwing the dog’s body in a lake or river.

During the same period, Scott allegedly admitted to his brother that he also shot a separate neighbor’s cat.

The cat named Sophie Rose belonged to his neighbor across the street from Scott and it survived being shot with a pellet gun.

Additionally, other neighbors also testified that they had five cats shot during the summer of 2015, prosecutors said. Two cats died.

The cat shootings “promptly stopped” after Scott was arrested and his weapon was seized, according to prosecutors.

The jury deliberated for about an hour following four days of testimony.

Judge Michael Deems remanded Scott into custody without bail as he awaits sentencing Dec. 29.

Scott faces up to five years in state prison.

(Oroville - December 6, 2016)

Oregon: Police say Joseph Seevers cruelly shot two baby geese, killing one

OREGON -- A maintenance worker at Sunriver's Meadow Golf Course has been cited for animal abuse and other charges, accused of firing a pellet rifle at a family of geese, wounding one gosling and killing another, police said Tuesday.

Officers responded shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday to the reported game violation on River Road. They determined a man working at the Meadows Golf Course had shot two juvenile goslings, said Police Chief Marc Mills.

 

Tom Pinckard, a neighbor to the course, witnessed the incident unfolding.

"I was sitting in this rocking chair with my binoculars looking at the geese, on the water. I saw a man pull out a rifle with a telescopic sight on it and begin shooting the birds. I was horrified," Pinckard said.

Pinckard said he rushed across the field and confronted the man who was shooting.

Officers brought one injured gosling to the High Desert Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation facility in Bend, where it's recovering from injuries, Mills said. The other was found dead at the location and was turned over to police as evidence.

After an investigation, police cited Joseph Neal Seevers, 39, of Bend, in lieu of custody on two counts each of animal abuse and the unlawful taking of a game animal, Mills said. His single-shot air rifle was confiscated for evidence, the chief added.

Why didn't they "arrest" him? I think in an effort to reduce jail overcrowding, some states have enacted laws that say for "minor crimes" (aka Misdemeanor crimes), the officer is to write a citation. By signing the citation, the suspect is promising to show up on their assigned court date. Basically the officer is "arresting" the suspect right there and "releasing" them on their own recognizance -- should the suspect now show up in court, a warrant can be issued for their custodial arrest. If the person refuses to sign the citation, they can be taken into custody (aka custodial arrest). 

It says a lot about our animal cruelty laws in our country that the courts consider animal cruelty to be a "minor" offense. If you steal a lawn ornament off someone's yard, it's considered the same "minor" offense as shooting innocent animals or starving your pet nearly to death.

The surviving gosling is being kept at center is kept in an oxygen chamber. Veterinary technician Jeannette Bonomo said they're trying to keep him quiet and limit his activity. The bird has a broken femur.

Bonomo said getting geese or wildlife off properties is understandable, but there's always a right way to do it instead shooting.

"Given that there are humane ways to get the geese away, there's not excuse for it. It's flat out cruel," Bonomo said.

"It was later determined that Sunriver Resort management had no knowledge of Seevers' actions," Mills said, adding that Sunriver police worked in cooperation with Oregon State Police game troopers on the incident.

At last sighting, the two adult geese were attending to the remaining goslings, Mills said.

"It is hoped that the injured gosling will be returned to its family after recovering from its injuries," he added.

Sunriver Resort Area Managing Director Tom O'Shea issued the following statement:

"On Sunday, April 17th, our management team was informed that an employee fired an air rifle at geese on the Meadows golf course, which is currently closed to the public. This staff member acted on their own accord, without prior authorization or approval from our supervisory team.

"Sunriver Resort does not condone this type of activity on property. Sunriver Resort and the employee are fully cooperating with local authorities. The resort is taking this matter extremely seriously and is investigating the situation internally to determine the next course of action," O'Shea added.

 

 

Photos provided by Pinckard, who says the geese have
come to his property for years to have their babies

Pinckard said the family of geese had nested on his porch for weeks. His wife, Suzie, said, there were a total of six baby goslings.

"It was very emotional, because these little geese have been on our deck. My wife had held them in her hands," Pinckard said.

Pinckard said his hope was that the golf course would come up with a management plan for co-existing with the wildlife and finding humane ways of removing certain animals from their property rather than resorting to injuring and killing them.

(KTVZ - Sept 20, 2016)