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Case #10711 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Dog poisoned to death
Laurel, MD (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007
County: Howard
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jack Carl Schroeder
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Howard County Police have charged a Laurel, Md. man with allegedly poisoning his neighbor's dog to death. The family who owned the deceased dog is reportedly now fearing for their own safety following the police charges.
The McSweeney's say their two-year-old dog Amy was considered by many to be a very nice dog. "The biggest complaint about her was that she licked too much," said Kathy McSweeney. "She was very calm, barely barked, never hurt a fly, and was in fact afraid of most people."
Jack Schroeder, 58, is now charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and malicious destruction of property in connection with Amy's death.
Kathy McSweeney says Schroeder had yelled at her before about Amy and in January another neighbor warned the McSweeney's about Schroeder's aggression towards the dog.
The neighbor told the McSweeney's that Schroeder came home one night while Amy was barking. Schroeder then, allegedly went into his garage and brought something out, which he put in the yard between his home and the McSweeney's.
When the McSweeney's investigated the area between their homes they found the evidence that could ultimately point to Schroeder's guilt.
Police say they received reports of food, antifreeze, oil and water near Schroeder's property line.
The beagle mix became sick after ingesting the contents found in two bowls left outside. The next day Amy died.
Police say after an autopsy, they have confirmed the dog was poisoned. Charging documents show Schroeder has confessed to the poisoning.
What has the McSweeney's most concerned is that three years ago, their previous dog died under similar circumstances.
No charges have been filed in that case but after Schroeder's recent arrest, the case could be reopened.
Case UpdatesAmy, a 2-year-old beagle mix, collapsed into convulsions and seizures before she died -- a scene all too familiar for her owners.
"She couldn't breathe at all, and she fell down the stairs. She couldn't control her actions," said Molly Cassella, 17, who came home from school Jan. 3 to let Amy outside. The dog - her "best friend" - died several hours later at an Annapolis animal hospital.
"I had to tell my little sister she was dead," Cassella said.
The Cassellas said their first dog died in 2004 in the same manner, raising suspicions that their neighbor of 20 years, Jack Schroeder, 59, of Laurel, poisoned the dogs because of their incessant barking, according to court records.
Schroeder admitted in a plea agreement in November to attempting to kill Amy by poisoning her with bowls of antifreeze and chicken bones. The remaining charges of aggravated animal cruelty were dropped, according to court records.
Schroeder was sentenced in Howard Circuit Court to 18 months in the Howard County Detention Center with all but 30 days suspended. He was placed on supervised probation for 18 months with counseling and must pay a $2,000 fine.
Schroeder said he's embarrassed by his actions, but the dog's bothersome barking forced him to sleep in a back bedroom and caused tension between his wife and him.
"My neighbors were being careless with their pet. I felt your pet's intrusion ..." Schroeder said, adding that the Cassellas ignored his concerns.
His apology left the Cassella family scoffing.
Schroeder moved out of the house, separated from his wife and was forced to resign from his job at the federal Department of Commerce. His psychiatrist testified that he suffers from depression and anxiety.
"This episode is a terrible failure for me," Schroeder said. | Source: Examiner.Com - Dec 18, 2007
Update posted on Dec 19, 2007 - 12:26AM |
A North Laurel man accused of killing his neighbor's dog by poising it with antifreeze has been indicted by a Howard County grand jury.
Jack Carl Schroeder, 58, of Rachel Yates Court is accused of serving a bowl of food soaked with antifreeze to his neighbor's 2-year-old beagle. The dog became sick and died from ingesting the contents last month, police said.
The grand jury indicted Schroeder on March 21 on six counts: aggravated cruelty to animals, animal cruelty, destruction of property, attempted animal cruelty, attempted aggravated cruelty to animals and attempted destruction of property, according to the indictment released by the Howard County state's attorney's office Friday.
Schroeder was charged Feb. 7 and released on his own recognizance. | Source: Baltimore Sun - March 25, 2007
Update posted on Mar 25, 2007 - 5:52AM |
| Jack C. Schroeder will appear in court for a pre-trial conference on April 4, 2007 at 1:15 p.m. Schroeder, 58, is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and malicious destruction of property in connection with the poisoning death of his neighbor's dog, Amy. | | Update posted on Feb 9, 2007 - 9:45PM |
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