Puppy shot and killed, left in dumpster Delmar, DE (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2001 County: Sussex Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Wayne N. Elliott

Case ID: 3996 Classification: Shooting Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in DE (US) Animal was offleash or loose Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Login to Watch this Case

Wayne N. Elliott, 60, a lawyer with the law firm Prickett Jones & Elliott has pleaded guilty in Sussex County Superior Court to misdeameanor animal cruelty for killing a neighbor's puppy after it ran onto his Delmar farm. He was ordered to serve a year of probation, pay $934 to owner of the dog he shot and killed. He will also pay $500 fine and court costs, perform 100 hours of community service at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, forefeit his shotgun to the SPCA and have no contact with the pet owner Rita Adkins. Elliott is also prohibited from owning animals for five years.

Elliott was charged on Nov 21, 2001, with felony animal cruelty and possession of a firearm during a felony. He plead guilty to the lesser charge before Judge Richard Stokes.

The judge is considering removing the probation if all other conditions are met.

Rita Adkins said her puppy Callie, a 7-month old boxer, chased a rabbit through the woods of her five acre property and failed to come back when she called and searched for it.

When her son, Mark, spoke with Elliott later in the day, Elliott said, "I did indeed see her and I shot her and she's in the dumpster."

Elliott's attorney, Joe Hurley, said he was pleased with the plea, since a felony conviction could have led to disbarment and prison time.

John Caldwell, SPCA Executive Director, said he was frustrated by the outcome, but that the state Attorney General's Office had the final say. "Our mission when we prosecute a case is to get a conviction A lot of times plea bargains are made. Do I always agree wth them? No."

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

Wilmington DE News Journal - Nov 14, 2002

« DE 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.