CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #3646 Rating: 3.2 out of 5
Dog shot
Maxton, NC (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004
County: Robeson
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Michael Collins
A Maxton man who shot and killed a dog that was rummaging through his trash might have also blown away his chance to become a law enforcement officer.
Michael Collins, of Lacy Road, was convicted of animal cruelty in Robeson District Court on Friday for shooting his cousin's 4-year-old Great Dane last July after he caught the dog going through his trash, according to Robeson County's Animal Cruelty Officer Katherine Floyd. The dog had to be euthanized after the bullet lodged near its spine, Floyd said.
Robeson District Court Judge Jeff Moore sentenced Collins to one-year supervised probation, ordered him to pay $600 in restitution, $214 in veterinarian costs, plus court costs. Moore also ruled that Collins cannot own any animals for one year.
Collins graduated from the basic law enforcement training course at Robeson Community College last fall, but the conviction might affect his job prospects.
According to James Sanderson, the director of the course, after a person graduates from the course, the North Carolina Criminal Justice and Training Standards in Raleigh determine whether that graduate can be certified as a law enforcement officer.
Floyd has her own opinion.
"He shouldn't be given a license to operate a gun or badge," Floyd said. "We don't need people with that mentality protecting the public in Robeson County."
Floyd said the proper method for handling a dog going through your trash is to contact the owner, and if that doesn't work, contact an animal control officer.
"The only justified reason to legally shoot a dog is if it is trying to attack a person, livestock or fowl," Floyd said. "But in this case, it was absolutely not justified. This situation could've been remedied without a bullet. He knew the owner." References« NC State Animal Cruelty Map
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