Dog burned with caustic substance
Martinsburg, WV (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
County: Berkeley
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Larry Kent Messner
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Larry Kent Messner, 52, of Martinsburg is accused of pouring an unknown substance on a neighbor's 9-year-old English shepherd in July. The dog, named Trixie, survived but suffered severe burns to its face, mouth and esophagus.
Messner, a fifth-grade teacher at Pinebrook Elementary School in Aldie, Va., remains free on $10,000 bond following his arraignment in early October in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. He has denied the allegation.
Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman Wayde Byard said that school officials had received a letter from HSUS asking for Messner's suspension, but that he could not comment because of personnel confidentiality. He said, however, Messner continues to teach at Pinebrook Elementary.
"People have to remember that this is still an alleged crime, no finding of guilt yet," Byard said.
"Any action now will be premature. He still has to go through due process."
Messner formerly taught in Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties and served as a principal, assistant principal and director of a dropout prevention program in West Virginia.
The Berkeley County Prosecutor in this case is Pamela Gains-Neely.
Case UpdatesA preliminary hearing in an animal cruelty case against Larry Kent Messner of Martinsburg was canceled Monday (October 24) following his indictment on the felony charge Friday, court officials said.
Messner, 52, of 100 Spaniel Road, teaches fifth grade at Pinebrook Elementary School in Loudoun County, Va. He was arrested Oct. 3 by West Virginia State Police in connection with a July 28 incident in which a neighbor's dog suffered burns to its eyes, mouth and esophagus, according to court records.
An unknown substance was poured on the dog's face and upper body, court records said.
The dog, a 9-year-old English shepherd named Trixie, survived.
Messner will be arraigned in Berkeley County Circuit Court Oct. 31, Circuit Clerk Virginia Sine said Monday. A trial date will be set at that time, she said.
Messner, who is free on $10,000 bond, has denied the allegation. He faces one to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines if convicted.
He has taught in Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties and served as a principal, assistant principal and director of a dropout prevention program in West Virginia.
According to court records, the complaint was filed by the dog's owner, Sonia Waggoner of 120 Spaniel Road.
The dog was in her fenced-in yard at the time of the incident, court records said. Waggoner called police when she returned home after 5 p.m. July 28 and saw that her dog could not open her eyes and was vomiting, court records said.
State Trooper J.J. Bowman, the investigating officer, also saw that the animal could not open her eyes and appeared to be "very sick," court records said.
A witness, Billy H. Justice, who testified before the grand jury Friday, told police in a written statement on July 28 that he saw a neighbor in brown clothes wearing a beige or off-colored hat come onto the Waggoners' property and pour a bucket of "some liquid" on the dog's face and upper body, according to records.
Justice, in his statement, said the dog was barking but had only been outside for about 15 minutes. He said the dog tried to rub off the substance by pressing its face on the ground and running around. He said she could not open her eyes and was salivating, records state.
Messner told Bowman during questioning that same day that he had to call animal control officers eight to 10 times before the incident, according to court records.
He denied going into his neighbor's yard or pouring anything on any animal. He offered to take a lie-detector test, court records said.
Bowman, in his report, said Messner wore a beige brim hat.
"People have to remember that this is still an alleged crime, no finding of guilt yet," Wayde Byard, spokesman for the Virginia school district told the AP. "Any action now will be premature. He still has to go through due process."
Under terms of his bail agreement, Messner is allowed to leave West Virginia for his teaching job in Virginia, court records said. | Source: Herald Mail - Oct 25, 2005
Update posted on Oct 31, 2005 - 10:11PM |
References- Associated Press - Oct 11, 2005
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