Pierce County man charged with shooting, burning dog in backyard fire pit
A Pierce County man is charged with first-degree animal cruelty for repeatedly shooting a dog and burning its body in a backyard fire pit, court documents say.
The 42-year-old is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 22.
Charging papers give this account:
Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home Sept. 10, 2018, on a report of shots fired.
When they arrived, they heard a man yell “You’re not going anywhere” and could see a fire burning in the backyard.
Deputies called for backup and once more deputies arrived, they took the man into custody.
His wife said the man was angry because she was going on vacation with her mother, but denied hearing gunshots and claimed she’d been asleep.
In the backyard, the partially burned body of a dog was found in a fire pit next to a pool of blood.
Several shotgun casings were also found on the ground.
“There were multiple slugs, buckshot and /or metal bullets/metal fragments all throughout the body of the dog,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “The defendant later told a neighbor that he was shooting at a bobcat and accidentally shot the dog.”
It was not clear who the dog belonged to.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 9:37 AM.
