Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Joseph Michael | | Judge(s): | W. Kennedy Boone |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #13747 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Dog shot to death
Williamsport, MD (US)Incident Date: Thursday, May 8, 2008
County: Washington
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jeffrey Hurd
Case Updates: 5 update(s) available
Maryland State Police have charged a Williamsport man with animal cruelty for shooting and killing two dogs that had strayed onto his property.
Police say 54-year-old Jeffrey Hurd used a high-powered rifle to shoot a German shepherd that chased a wild turkey onto Hurd's property Thursday. The dog had been shot more than once.
According to police, Hurd was also charged in the July 2007 shooting death of a Labrador retriever.
Other charges include two counts of malicious destruction of property.
Case UpdatesA Williamsport man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for killing two dogs that were running on his property.
Fifty-five-year-old Jeffrey Hurd was also placed on probation Friday and ordered not to own, possess, handle or carry firearms during probation.
Hurd killed a Labrador retriever with a high-powered rifle in July 2007 and killed a German shepherd in 2008. The dogs were chasing wild game onto his property.
He was found guilty last month of two counts of mutilating an animal and two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500. | Source: ABC 2 - Dec 6, 2008
Update posted on Dec 7, 2008 - 7:45PM |
A Washington County Circuit judge on Thursday morning found a Williamsport man guilty of two counts of mutilating an animal and two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500.
Jeffrey Hurd, 55, of 11845 Camden Road, killed a Labrador retriever with a high-powered rifle in July 2007 and killed a German shepherd in 2008. In each case, the dogs were chasing wild game onto Hurd's property, Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III said.
Hurd also faces a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by the owners of the dogs and other neighbors who allege that Hurd is a nuisance who patrols the property line armed with a gun, fires a gun daily and has made death threats to his neighbors and government officials.
Hagerstown attorney Bruce Poole in June filed a complaint on behalf of Eric and Mary Haberkorn, two of Hurd's neighbors. In September, Poole filed an amended complaint that included grievances from several other of Hurd's neighbors and asked for a total of $3.4 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
Poole on Thursday said he would not elaborate about the death threats to neighbors and government officials, saying only that one of the death threats involved a state government official.
In the criminal case, Hurd's defense attorney, Lewis Metzner, said that based on a state statute, his client had the right to shoot the dogs before they caught and "mutilated"the wild animals.
A trial was held before Boone Oct. 27.
That defense did not prevail because Hurd had alternatives, Boone said. Hurd could have contacted the Department of Natural Resources, other law enforcement agencies or the animals' owners, the judge said.
The state statute referenced by Hurd's defense was meant to prevent people from hunting deer with dogs, and did not provide a defense to the crimes with which Hurd was charged, Boone said.
In connection with the July 22, 2007, shooting death of a Labrador retriever named Bristal, Boone wrote in his opinion, "Despite the claim that Bristal was pursuing a deer, Defendant's actions, causing the animal pain, suffering and death, may be construed as unjustified and unnecessary."
In response to Hurd's defense that shooting the dog was justified because Bristal was interfering with his right to use and enjoy his property, Boone said that any damage done to Hurd's ability to use his property was less than the damage done to the victim as a result of Hurd's actions.
For the same reasons, Boone also found Hurd guilty of the May 8, 2008, shooting death of a German shepherd named Harley.
After Thursday's hearing, Harley's owner, Jim Rudolph, talked about the dog's death.
He was walking Harley down a lane near their home and let him off the leash. Harley saw a rabbit and took off toward the woods that border Hurd's property.
"Bam, that quick," Rudolph said. "Then two other shots rang out."
When he got to Harley, the dog was still breathing, but he soon died.
Rudolph is also a plaintiff in the civil action.
The animal cruelty charges, which are felonies, each carry a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Each of the destruction charges carries a sentence of 60 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine.
Boone ordered that a 1998 presentence investigation report about Hurd be updated before sentencing, which he said would take place in about a month. The report had been completed after Hurd was convicted of harassment in 1998, Deputy State's Attorney Joseph Michael said.
Hurd's criminal history also includes a conviction for a fourth-degree sexual offense, Michael said.
Records of those cases no longer are available in Washington County District Court.
According to the report, Hurd has "serious mental health issues" and "refuses to acknowledge this," Michael said. Hurd places the blame for his actions on his victims, Michael said, again referencing the report.
The judge allowed Hurd to remain out on $50,000 bond but ordered him not to have any firearms on his property. | Source: Herald-Mail - Nov 6, 2008
Update posted on Nov 7, 2008 - 12:08AM |
A northwest Maryland man has been convicted of two counts of felony animal cruelty for killing two of his neighbors' dogs.
Jeffrey Hurd, 55, of Williamsport, faced up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines for the convictions. A sentencing date was not set.
Hurd was also found guilty of two counts of malicious destruction of property by Washington County Circuit Judge Kennedy Boone.
Each of those convictions carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The shooting of the German shepherd and the black Labrador retriever was justified because they were chasing wild game on his property, Hurd said.
However, Hurd had reasonable alternatives to killing the dogs, including calling the owners or the Natural Resources Police, according to Boone. | Source: NBC News - Nov 6, 2008
Update posted on Nov 6, 2008 - 10:08PM |
The fate of a Williamsport man accused of shooting two dogs that ran onto his property will be decided next month by a Washington County Circuit Court judge.
Judge W. Kennedy Boone on Monday heard arguments from attorneys in the case of Jeffrey Hurd, who is accused of killing a Labrador retriever with a high-powered rifle in July 2007, and a German shepherd in May 2008, as they chased wild game onto his property. The dogs belonged to separate families who lived near Hurd.
No witnesses were called to the stand Monday, but the prosecutor read statements from several people involved in the case.
Boone said he would announce his decision at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 6.
If convicted of both animal cruelty charges, which are felonies, Hurd could face a maximum sentence of six years in prison and $10,000 in fines, said Hurd's attorney, Lewis C. Metzner.
Hurd, 55, of 11845 Camden Road, also was charged with two misdemeanor counts of property damage less than $500, Metzner said. Each of those counts carries a sentence of 60 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine.
Metzner said in court that the dogs were chasing wild animals, including a deer and a turkey, when Hurd fired the shots.
Metzner read from a state statute that says "any Natural Resources police officer, law enforcement officer or any other person may kill any dog found pursuing any deer" in Washington County.
Metzner said Hurd had the right to shoot the dogs before they caught and "mutilated" the wild animals.
"Is (Hurd) or any landowner required to sit and watch that take place?" Metzner said. "... The state wants to ignore the rights of the property owner."
Washington County Deputy State's Attorney Joseph Michael said that in the case of the German shepherd, Hurd fired three shots at the dog from about 170 yards. The first shot crippled the dog and a second shot missed. Michael said it was unnecessary to fire the third and fatal shot because the dog already had been incapacitated.
The Labrador retriever was shot twice before it died, Michael said.
Michael said Hurd inflicted unnecessary and unjustifiable pain upon the dogs in each case. | Source: Herald-Mail - Oct 27, 2008
Update posted on Oct 28, 2008 - 12:02AM |
The Washington County man accused of killing two family dogs was in court Monday, arguing charges of animal cruelty.
Jeffrey Hurd admitted he shot two of his neighbors' dogs while they were on his property. He said neither of them were on leashes and they were chasing wild animals.
Prosecutors say the killings were cruel and unnecessary, and Hurd could have called the pet owners or the police.
The defense argued that under Maryland law, Hurd was justified in shooting the dogs because they were chasing wild animals. | Source: Your4State.Com - Oct 27, 2008
Update posted on Oct 27, 2008 - 7:18PM |
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