Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog shot in the legs by animal control officer

Dog shot in the legs by animal control officer
Copan, OK (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Mar 19, 2007
County: Washington
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Carlotta Gail Evans

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 11112

Classification: Shooting

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Animal was offleash or loose

Suspect was in animal welfare field

Carlotta Evans, with Copan Animal Control went to the residence of Jessica Shaeffer, who lives outside Copan in Washington County.

She allegedly told Jessica's 15-year-old grandson that if he didn't chain up his dog, she would come back and shoot the dog.

The boy says that the dog catcher then proceeded to her vehicle, pulled out a .22, and shot the dog twice in the back legs.

The 15-year-old grandson and a one-year-old granddaughter were both apparently in the front yard when this happened.

The lady drove away, and the boy ran into the house and called the police.

By the time the Washington County Sheriff's Deputies arrive to take the report, the dog had crawled into the bushes bleeding.

The family took the dog to the vet where they found that the both of the dogs rear legs were broken.

Undersheriff Dennis Nix of Washington County confirmed that they are investigating these events.

Case Updates

Local prosecutors and law enforcement are weighing in on animal cruelty charges recently brought against a Copan animal control officer.

Carlotta Gail Evans, 55, was arrested March 23 after actions alleged to have occurred on March 19. Authorities contend that Evans shot a dog two times with a .22 caliber rifle. Evans is reportedly contending that she acted under a Copan City ordinance that allows for the destroying of dogs.

According to Copan City ordinance 3-23, certain dogs may be destroyed without impoundment. The ordinance states:

�Every dog which is a vicious dog, or a nuisance, or a stray dog, which the keeper of the pound, or the police officers of the city are unable to catch or impound, after due diligence and effort, may be destroyed, without impoundment, within city limits, by such police officer or keeper of the pound.�

�Laws are no good if you have people who do not understand them trying to interpret them,� District Attorney Rick Esser told the Examiner-Enterprise on Friday.

�The fact is that they have a vicious dog ordinance that is outdated and invalid because it has not been recodified as requested by state statute.�

Esser said according to Oklahoma statute, cities are required to go over their ordinances every 10 years to get rid of outdated or superfluous laws.

�The code does not give validation to an uncertified animal control officer to pull to the side of the road, put a rifle out the window and open fire on the streets of Copan,� said Esser.

According to an incident report filed by the Washington County Sheriff�s Office, deputies received a call to the area of the 500 block of East Copan Street in Copan in reference to a report of animal cruelty. The report states the dog in question was outside the Copan city limits and inside the county at the time of the shooting.

Upon arrival, witnesses told deputies that Evans had just shot their dog.

According to the report, one witness said he had been feeding and watering his dogs when Evans pulled into the driveway and said the dogs had been �chasing people again and that she was not going to give them anymore chances.�

The witness told deputies that Evans said, �If the dogs left the yard one more time that she was going to shoot them,� the report states. The man said Evans began to back out of the drive and he went inside the house for a few seconds before going back outside. He told authorities he heard a gun go off and saw his dog �s �hind leg flip up.� The dog, �Smokey,� is a 25-30 pound mixed breed.

The man said that in the past Evans had �set (sic) in the street and attempted to call the dogs to the roadway so she could shoot them.�

When deputies made contact with Evans, she reportedly told them she had received a call about the dogs chasing kids in the street. She said she spoken to the male witness and told him, �They would have to put the dogs up and keep them out of the city limits.�

She said that when she started to leave, the dogs started to follow her and she stopped and yelled at the witness �not to let the dogs out of the yard.� She contended that the dogs continued to follow her into the intersection into the city limits and that she stopped her truck and fired one shot, hitting a black and white dog. She reportedly said she used a .22 caliber long rifle to shoot the dog.

Deputies recovered two spent .22 casings from the area of the shooting.

The dog was taken to a veterinarian in Bartlesville where an x-ray showed two bullets lodged inside the dog. One shattered the hind leg and the dog�s leg was later amputated.

Evans was released March 26 on $5,000 bond.

According to Washington County Sheriff�s Office investigator Gary Miller, the sheriff�s office is interested in how the money for the bond was raised. Almost immediately following Evans arrest, rumors began to circulate concerning a possible unscheduled meeting in which Copan City officials reportedly met and discussed raising funds.

�We�ve not heard anything about a meeting but heard that they were getting together to get the bond money together,� Miller said.

Source: Examiner Enterprise - April 3, 2007
Update posted on Apr 3, 2007 - 10:01AM

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The Copan animal control officer was arraigned in Washington County Court Monday on charges of cruelty to animals after her arrest for allegedly shooting a dog.

Carlotta Gail Evans, 55, was arrested Friday evening after actions alleged to have occurred on March 19.

According to an incident report filed by the Washington County Sheriff�s Office, deputies received a call to the area of the 500 block of East Copan Street in Copan in reference to an animal cruelty. The report said the dog had been outside the city limits and inside the county at the time of the shooting.

Upon arrival witnesses reportedly told deputies that the animal control officer in Copan, Evans, had just shot their dog.

According to the report, one witness said he had been feeding and watering his dogs when Evans pulled into the driveway and said the dogs had been �chasing people again and that she was not going to give them anymore chances.�

The witness told deputies Evans then said that �if the dogs left the yard one more time that she was going to shoot them,� the report states. The man said that at that point Evans began to back out of the drive and he went inside the house for a few seconds before going back outside. He reportedly said he heard a gun go off and saw his dog Smokey�s �hind leg flip up.�

The man reportedly said that in the past Evans had �set (sic) in the street and attempted to call the dogs to the roadway so she could shoot them.�

Deputies then made contact with Evans, who reportedly said she had received a call about the dogs chasing kids in the street. She said she spoke to the male witness and told him that �they would have to put the dogs up and keep them out of the city limits.�

She said that when she started to leave, the dogs started to follow her and she stopped and yelled at the witness �not to let the dogs out of the yard.� She contended that the dogs continued to follow her into the intersection into the city limits and that she stopped her truck and fired one shot, hitting a black and white dog. She reportedly said she used a .22 caliber long rifle to shoot the dog.

Deputies recovered two spent .22 casing from the area of the shooting.

The dog was taken to a veterinarian in Bartlesville, where an x-ray showed two bullets inside the dog with one shattering the hind leg. The dog�s leg was later amputated.

Evans is currently free on $5,000 bond.

Source: Examiner-Enterprise - March 27, 2007
Update posted on Mar 27, 2007 - 7:26PM

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References

	Fox 23 - March 26, 2007
	KOTV - April 3, 2007

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Dog shot in the legs by animal control officerCopan, OK (US)

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Dog shot in the legs by animal control officer
Copan, OK (US)