Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Jean M. Kilham | | Defense(s): | Paul G. Schweizer | | Judge(s): | Edward J. Burke |
Images for this Case
Chained dog shot
Swanzey, NH (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 10, 2011
County: Cheshire
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: Michael A. Bailey
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Police said they are still trying to figure out why a man in Swanzey shot his neighbor's dog.
Town police said Michael A. Bailey, 47, of 113 Marcy Hill Road, shot the dog twice Thursday while the dog was chained and sleeping in his doghouse. Veterinarians had to amputate one of the dog's legs.
Michael Bailey has been charged with two felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and one felony count of cruelty to animals.
The dog's owner, Phil Sherrick, said he's not sure why Bailey shot his dog, but he said the outpouring of support he has received has been overwhelming.
"The girl down at the Swanzey Diner made him some scrambled eggs and bacon," Sherrick said of his dog
Sherrick said Dozer's personality has changed since he was shot last week.
"People come by and get close to him, and he growls at them," he said. "He thinks maybe that's who shot him, I don't know."
After the dog was shot, there was some thought Dozer might have to be put down.
"Due to the blood loss he'd experienced, he was pretty passive when he came in," said veterinarian Donna Harwood.
Harwood said she knew she could save the dog, in part because the bullet had operated much like a surgeon's scalpel.
"The leg was just dangling by threads," she said. "There was a total detachment on that bone. He shot right through it."
Harwood says she was able to stop the bleeding and stitch up the leg, and she said the prognosis for the dog is pretty good.
Sherrick said he no longer feels safe in his home.
"I've locked the doors," he said. "I didn't know what he would do. He might shoot me."
Bailey is being held at the Cheshire County Jail on $25,000 cash bail. He declined an interview request.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Case UpdatesA dog that survived a gunshot to the leg in February had to be euthanized Friday after his personality changed, according to his owner, Philip M. Sherrick Sr.
"The vets said he was like Jekyll and Hyde, and it's all over this trauma of being shot," Sherrick said.
Dozer, a seven-year-old Siberian Husky, was shot Feb. 10 in the right hind leg while sleeping outside Sherrick's home on Marcy Hill Road in Swanzey. The leg was later amputated.
Sherrick's next-door neighbor, Michael A. Bailey, 47, was arrested Feb. 15 and charged with the shooting. He has been indicted on two counts of felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and one count of cruelty to animals.
Though Dozer was recovering physically, Sherrick said the dog's easy-going nature had changed. He was growling more, and when Sherrick took him to the veterinarian, she recommended putting him down before he got worse.
"I knew he wasn't the same dog," he said.
Sherrick, who has no plans to get another dog, said "I'm not going to have my heart broken again." | Source: sentinelsource.com - Apr 17, 2011
Update posted on Apr 17, 2011 - 2:11PM |
A Swanzey man accused of shooting his neighbor's dog appeared Wednesday in Keene District Court.
Michael A. Bailey, 47, waived a probable cause hearing, meaning his case will be forwarded to Cheshire County Superior Court, where felony-level cases are heard. Bailey faces two counts of reckless conduct and a charge of cruelty to an animal.
Swanzey police say Bailey shot Dozer, a 7-year-old Siberian Husky, in the leg with a high-powered rifle on Feb. 10 while the dog was chained to a dog house on Marcy Hill Road. Most of the dog's lower leg was amputated.
Owner Philip M. Sherrick Sr. and his son, Raymond Sherrick, were inside a garage near where the shooting took place.
During Wednesday's hearing, Bailey's attorney, Paul G. Schweizer of Keene, asked Judge Edward J. Burke to lower the $25,000 bail set at Bailey's arraignment last week. If released from jail, Bailey would agree to live at his parents' house in Keene, Schweizer said, adding that Bailey has lived next door to Sherrick for six years without a previous incident.
Assistant Cheshire County Attorney Jean M. Kilham argued against lowering the bail, which she said was based on the seriousness of accusations against Bailey and a criminal record that includes two previous convictions on drug charges and a 2005 drunken driving conviction.
Bailey's girlfriend, who was at his house at the time of the shooting, told investigators that Bailey was drunk when he left the house with a rifle that evening and she later heard gunshots, Kilham said.
The gun police say Bailey used in the shooting has not been recovered, although Bailey's girlfriend and family members confirmed that he owns one matching the description, Kilham said.
Kilham requested that if Bailey was released that he not be allowed to contact the Sherricks or his girlfriend and he be restricted from entering Swanzey. As of this morning, Bailey's bail conditions were unchanged. | Source: nashuatelegraph.com - Feb 25, 2011
Update posted on Apr 17, 2011 - 2:18PM |
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