Pit bull neglect, one found dead, 9 more starving Altus, OK (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 County: Jackson Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Misdemeanor Alleged: Roger Shaw

Case ID: 12365 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in OK (US) Drugs or alcohol involved Login to Watch this Case

An Altus man jailed since the end of August on drug trafficking charges will have a jury decide whether, in a separate case, he is guilty of animal cruelty in the death of a pit bull and the starvation of nine others at his West Broadway home in the spring of this year.

Roger Shaw, 19, of 509 W. Broadway, is to appear for jury trial Oct. 15, with District Judge Richard B. Darby presiding. He has pleaded not guilty in the case and is being defended by attorney Daniel Hutcherson.

The animal cruelty charges stem from mid-May when police found a dead pit bull, a starving male pit bull and a starving female pit bull and her seven puppies at Shaw's residence.

Shaw was arrested Aug. 22 along with Jeffrey Jones Shepherd Jr., 21, of 1001 N. Thomas #B, at Shepherd's residence following the execution of a search warrant by the District III Drug Task Force and Altus police detectives at around 4:30 p.m.

Task force agents and police confiscated 23 grams of crack cocaine as well as three firearms: an SKS semi-automatic carbine, a 9 mm rifle and a .40-caliber pistol, along with some 500 rounds of ammunition. Both the carbine and pistol were loaded.

Both Shaw and Shepherd, whose bond was set at $100,000 each, remain behind bars. Shaw is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (crack cocaine) with intent to distribute, and Shepherd faces two counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance (crack cocaine) after formal felony conviction.

According to an affidavit in the animal cruelty case against Shaw, shortly after 9 p.m. May 15, Altus Police Officer David Dickerson, while conducting an unrelated investigation, contacted Altus Animal Control Officer Cody Barber after he saw a dead dog and an emaciated male dog in the back yard of Shaw's West Broadway home. Barber seized both of the animals.

Then, according to the affidavit, Dickerson saw a third dog, a female, inside the residence. The next day, Dickerson contacted Shaw at the residence and Shaw said that he was the dogs' owner. He surrendered the female dog, along with her seven puppies, from inside the residence.

The male dog, the mother and her pups were taken to Westside Animal Clinic where veterinarian John N. Thomas said in a statement that emaciation was extreme in the female dog and that moderate emaciation was obvious in the male dog. The female dog, Thomas stated, �attacked her food as if starving.�

At that same West Broadway residence on July 7, Shaw was hit in the knee by a bullet fired during a drive-by shooting, the second in a week at the address. While Shaw was being treated at Jackson County Memorial Hospital, police conducted an inventory search of his clothing and found what they say tested positive to be marijuana wrapped in a piece of paper in a shirt pocket. Shaw was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana.

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References

Altus Times - Oct 3, 2007

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