Former County Prosecutor Charged: Animal Cruelty Phoenix, AZ (US) Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 27, 2004 County: Maricopa Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: David Pottenger

Case ID: 2497 Classification: Shooting Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in AZ (US) Login to Watch this Case

New Mexico, Former County Prosecutor, David Pottenger's version of the dog shooting differs from findings by police.

Phoenix police finished investigating, and Pottenger, 37, was handcuffed in and hauled to jail. Now he faces a felony charge for discharging a firearm within city limits, plus a misdemeanor for cruelty to animals.

Pottenger says the case is an outrage that could send him to prison for 2 1/2 years. He claims officers got false statements from witnesses and botched the investigation.

But neighbors gives a very different account of what happened on that morning.

Pottenger represented himself - and flooded the court with motions. Pottenger demanded the dead dog's brain to determine whether it had rabies. He wanted a witness' hair to be tested for evidence of hallucinogenic drug abuse. He wanted Maricopa County Animal Control records on dog bites and leash law violations in the neighborhood.

Prosecutors asked the judge to sanction Pottenger for acting in bad faith. His reply, that he is entitled to a vigorous defense, carries a measure of desperation: If Pottenger is sent to prison, his wife - who speaks limited English and does not have a driver's license - would be alone with their kids. And his legal career would be ruined by a criminal conviction.

The trial is scheduled to begin next month.

"I'm not crazy!" Pottenger said. "I'm not some punk who's mad he got caught and is looking for excuses that aren't there! Something is wrong with this whole case - truly wrong. . . . The whole accusation eats at me night and day."

In addition to animal cruelty, David Pottenger is charged with violating Shannon's Law, a measure aimed at preventing celebratory or random gunfire.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

Arizona Republic

« AZ State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.