The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office filed animal cruelty charges against a Waynesboro man on Friday in connection with the killing of his neighbor’s service dog.
The 67-year-old Louis Edward Davis Jr. is facing charges for both felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor reckless handling of a handgun. He was being held without bond at the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona, according to a statement released on Monday by the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
The ACSO Lieutenant Leslie Snyder informed Newsweek over the phone that the husky named Bear had escaped from his owner’s house’s fenced-in yard on Friday morning.
The following morning, the dog was shot. It’s unclear if Davis knew who the dog belonged to or if the two had ever had a problem before.
A 27-year-old August County man called 911 from Waynesboro Animal Hospital to tell authorities of the incident.
A gunshot was followed by an animal crying out, according to the bear’s owner, who has chosen to remain unknown. After stepping outside to check what had occurred, he discovered that his dog had somehow gotten out of the fenced-in part of the yard that he was supposed to be in.
The dog was later discovered on Mormon Gap Road close to his house with a gunshot wound to the spine. Bear was declared dead when he arrived at the veterinary facility.
Sheriff’s deputies found the big caliber revolver used in the shooting when Davis was taken into custody.
During the interview, Snyder mentioned that service animals were covered by additional laws, but did not go into further detail because the event is still under investigation.
Furthermore, it seems like moving to Augusta County has turned into a nightmare for a soldier and his wife who moved to Virginia after his military career to pursue his master’s degree and enjoy the snow and the sight of the mountains with their two huskies.
Bear was shot and killed by a neighbor they have not even met, and now, the man’s wife, who continues to live next door, appears determined on terrifying the couple by attempting to hit the owner and their remaining husky, Hazel, while driving recklessly right towards them before swerving away at the last second.
