Dog shot - Hallwood, VA

Monday, Apr 16, 2007

County: Accomack

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Ronald D. Taylor

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Chi Ho Kim walked to his Hallwood chicken house last April and his two dogs played outside while he checked his flock.

Then Kim heard two gunshots. He called the dogs, but one, a Border Collie named Oreo, didn't return.

"Usually he would run to me, but this time, he did not," said Kim, a Korean speaking through an interpreter.

On Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court, a neighbor was found guilty of felony cruelty to animals after a prosecutor and animal control officer said he shot the dog, leaving it to die in a nearby wooded area.

The conviction is a relatively rare one in Accomack County and comes at a time of heightened sensitivity nationally about animal abuse because of recent high-profile dog slayings.

Ronald D. Taylor, 45, also of Hallwood, remains out of jail on bond. A presentence report has been ordered before he is formally sentenced for the crime.

Prosecutor Matthew Brenner of the Accomack County Com-monwealth's Attorney's Office told the court that the animal was not shot in the yard of the shooter, negating the accused's self-defense story.

Taylor, however, testified that the border collie attacked a puppy on his land, and he physically struck the animal with a .7 mm gun to break up the fight.

Then he said the dog "turned on me," and he shot it.

"I had no choice," Taylor said. "He was coming at me."

Taylor claimed the injured dog limped across the street and lay down in a wooded area, and he shot the dog again "to put it out of its misery."

Accomack County Animal Control Officer Kim Penniwell, however, said Taylor initially denied involvement in the shooting before changing his story hours later in a telephone conversation and claiming self-defense. State law dictates that the shooting could have been justifiable if it was done in self-defense.

But no hair or blood was found in the area where Taylor said he first shot the dog as it turned aggressive.

The dog's owner and Penniwell later exhumed Oreo's body and took it to Dr. Barrett Betz, a local veterinarian, for examination.

Betz testified in Jan 2008 that the animal's body had only one entry wound, and two exit wounds -- the bullet, he said, fragmented on impact.

Brenner said Taylor's first shot missed the dog -- and told the court that there were no signs of injury to Taylor's dog, which allegedly had been involved in the fight. He also referenced Taylor's changing story on the day of the shooting.

Taylor's attorney, Paul Watson of Eastville, said exhuming and hosing off the dog's body could have destroyed evidence, and said it was not established beyond a reasonable doubt that there was only one entrance wound.

Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler, however, wasn't convinced.

"The defendant wants to persuade this court that he was attacked by a 16-month-old Border Collie," he said, adding, "Mr. Taylor's story is cooked up, made up."

Case Updates

An Accomack County man was sentenced to 10 days in jail and given 100 hours of community service for shooting a neighbor's dog 13 months ago in Hallwood. Ronald Taylor, 44, of Hallwood in January was convicted of cruelty to animals -- a relatively rare conviction in Accomack County. The conviction came at a time of heightened sensitivity nationally about animal abuse because of recent high-profile dog slayings. During his trial, prosecutor Matthew Brenner of the Accomack County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office told the court the animal was not shot in the yard of the shooter, negating Taylor's self-defense story. The dog, a border collie, belonged to neighbor Chi Ho Kim. Taylor, however, testified that the border collie attacked a puppy on his land, and he physically struck the animal with a .7-mm pistol to break up the fight. Then he alleged the dog "turned on me," and he shot it. Taylor claimed the injured dog limped across the street and lay down in a wooded area, and he shot the dog again "to put it out of its misery." Accomack County Animal Control Officer Kim Penniwell, however, said Taylor initially denied involvement in the shooting before changing his story hours later, claiming self-defense.

Source: Delmarva Now - May 14, 2008 Update posted on May 18, 2008 - 9:23PM

References

• The Daily Times - Jan 25, 2008

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