A Cardington man who shot and killed his wife's dog and then assaulted her awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in Common Pleas Court.
David Arehart, 33, pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanors, animal cruelty and domestic abuse, and attempted tampering with evidence, a fourth-degree felony. Arehart was scheduled to begin a two-day jury trial Monday, but it was canceled because of the plea.
He was originally indicted on charges of fourth-degree domestic violence, cruelty to animals, third-degree tampering with evidence and a one-year firearm specification. The charges were altered following plea bargaining.
His sentence hearing has not been scheduled yet. His wife now has a restraining order against him.
The charges stem from an 8:06 p.m. March 22 incident at Arehart's home when, according to court documents, he shot a beagle owned by his wife, the victim in this domestic violence case and whose name is not being reported by The Marion Star. His wife then came home and he shoved her and pinned her against a wall.
He then gave the gun he used on her dog and other guns to his sister to hide because he had a prior domestic violence charge, said Rhonda Burggraf, an assistant prosecutor at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.
The Brady Handgun Control Act states that, in some cases, previous domestic violence offenders are not allowed to have guns, Burggraf said. The defendant was convicted in Marysville Municipal Court of domestic violence in 2002, according to court documents.
Arehart's attorney, Todd Anderson, said Arehart's sister and the possibility of a more severe sentence spurred the decision for his client to enter a plea rather than go to trial.
"If this case was allowed to proceed, there was concern that there would be charges on her," he said. Anderson said he believed a sentencing of 15 days in jail and another 15 days of house arrest would result from the plea bargain.
Arehart was arrested the day of the incident and taken to Multi-County Correctional Center. He was released on a $7,500 cash-corporate bond March 24, a jail spokeswoman said.
Burggraf said the woman had bruises following the incident, but that was the extent of her injuries. Anderson maintains that the dog tried to bite his client. Burggraf said Arehart had only a small, red mark on his hand and there was no evidence the dog bit Arehart.
"The dog is a beagle, which are not aggressive dogs by nature," she said. References« Back to Search Results
|
