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Case #7188 Rating: 2.8 out of 5
4 horses, 1 cow shot - teens also charged w/arson
Isanti, MN (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Feb 1, 2006
County: Isanti
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» John Laird Green
» John Bernard Yates, III
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Two teenagers charged with animal cruelty could also be responsible for other crimes, including arson in Anoka County, Minn., police said.
John Green and John Yates, both 16, were charged with animal cruelty for allegedly shooting four houses and one cow last week near Isanti, Minn.
The pair could also be connected to other crimes and one boy's cell phone is making the police investigation even easier.
Anoka County investigators said voices heard on a video taken on a cell phone are Green and Yates. The audio with the video talks about who started a house fire seen in the video.
"You know, if you're going to be involved in a criminal act, it's obviously not wise to record the incident and to keep that recording," said Capt. Rob. Bredsten, with the Anoka County Sheriff's Department.
A friend of the boys' tipped off Isanti Police while they were investigating the shootings of several farm animals. Police said the 16-year-olds are also linked to another house fire just a few miles away.
Based on the cell phone video, police said there may also be other teenagers involved.
"At least one of them, you know, talked to us, admitted what he had done," Bredsten said. "Along with a couple of other accomplices, that's kind of how we got on to it."
Police said what bothers them most about the case is the boys never bothered to think about the consequences of what they were doing, and the dangers they put firefighters in.
Both boys will appear before an Isanti County judge on Feb 10, where it will be determined if they will be tried as adults.
Case UpdatesTwo teenagers were sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to multiple counts of animal cruelty for shooting four horses and a cow in Isanti in February.
John Green and John Yates Jr., both 16, admitted to shooting the animals with high-powered rifles out of boredom.
The horses died. The cow was badly injured and taken to slaughter.
Both teens will serve 90 to 120 days in a juvenile correction program, pay thousands of dollars in restitution and do 100 hours of community service. They'll remain under supervised probation until they turn 21.
Owners of the horses testified how the animals suffered after being shot.
Both teenagers apologized for the shooting. Their families also apologized to their neighbors.
"We're just very sorry," said John Yates Sr. "We appreciate the second chance to make it better, you have my word on that as a man and father."
"I love my son very much," he added. | Source: Pioneer Press - May 30, 2006
Update posted on Jun 5, 2006 - 12:08AM |
Two 16-year-old males from rural Isanti remained in secure custody this week following their arrests Feb. 3, 2006 in connection with the alleged shooting of four horses and one cow. All of the horses died and the cow had to be shipped for slaughter due to its injuries.
Charged with five counts of felony cruelty to animals and five felony counts of criminal damage to property each were John Laird Green and John Bernard Yates, both from rural Isanti. State law allows the public identification of juveniles 16 and over who are charged with felonies. Plans are underway to seek prosecution of both boys as adults.
One of the horses shot was a paint owned by the grandson of Don and Jan Daudt, and housed on their property. The horse was shot as it stood in the pasture, close to Co. Rd. 10 just north of the Co. Rd. 53 intersection in Stanford Township. "I was watching the horses out by the hay rack in the morning, then I was getting ready to take a shower when the doorbell rings," said Don Daudt. "I missed those people, but then another couple came up and said I had a horse down out there. I put on my coat and shoes, run across the pasture, but it was dead– blood all over the snow. "I saw the deputy who responded, and he told me more had been shot; one of the neighbors reported the shooting. Later, I'm kind of snoopy, so I drove around to look for any more cars or anything. Then just this side of the bridge which goes up to King's ranch, I saw a tow truck loading up a car. I talked to the tow truck driver, and he says they caught them." Asked if their grandson was contacted that afternoon, Jan Daudt replied, "He's still in school, but his mom's talked to him. He has a junior high wrestling match in Inver Grove or someplace tonight. He just asked if everyone was okay, and he didn't want to know about anything else until he got back from the wrestling match.
"What's makes it even harder was that horse was like a mother to a little pony we have out there." Added D. Daudt, "That big one was laying there, and the little one was trying to nurse on it, pawing on it." "Like I told the Channel 4 people, I hope they really give it to them good. If they are that crazy to go around shooting animals, then they would probably shoot people, too. They don't care what they shoot," finished D. Daudt.
Rick Hari was the neighbor to Daudts who witnessed the boys in the car. "I just stepped out of the house around 10 o'clock to let my dog out and have a smoke, and I noticed my horses were jumping around and my dogs were barking," Hari described. "I saw a car right on the road there (northeast of his house). I thought maybe they were having car problems– I didn't pay much attention. Then I saw a guy lift a rifle up with a scope and start shooting. I turned around, came in and dialed 9-1-1. Gave them a description of the car and the occupants. Later, me and the deputy went up to where they were parked and we found a shell casing. "In the meantime, another car came up, and they reported about a horse bleeding from the mouth, which must have been the one at Daudts. Then I saw the kids drive by a couple more times, the deputy recognized the description of the car, he radioed ahead and I guess they pulled them over and caught them. "All they would have had to do was turn around from where I first saw them and they could have shot at my horses from the same vantage point. It was pretty shocking and it's scary, but I'm glad they caught them because I'd be scared knowing they were still on the loose."
Isanti Co. Deputy Sheriff Russ Monson was handling the parade of media into the Sheriff's office. He reported the suspects in custody were two 16 year-old juveniles. In a corner in his office were the two scoped .223 rifles, black with synthetic stocks. "Our preliminary report is the kids decided to skip school this morning. They got bored, then decided to grab their two rifles, drive around and shoot livestock," said Dep. Monson. "When they were brought in here for questioning, one was really nervous and remorseful. The other one showed no emotion and didn't say anything." County will seek adult certification | Source: Isanti County News - February 8, 2006
Update posted on May 11, 2006 - 9:24PM |
John B. Yates III and John L. Green, both 16 and charged with felony cruelty to animals and felony criminal damage to property for the Feb. 3 shootings of four horses and a cow, were denied release to their homes after Feb. 10 hearings at the Isanti Co. Government Center.
Attorneys for both suspects argued for release of the two into the care of their families for the weekend, with the next hearing coming Tuesday, Feb. 14 to determine whether the two will be certified as adults. Assistant Co. Attorney Dan Conlin argued that the deliberate nature in which the shooting spree was carried out, with one horse victim after another at different locations, represented a good cause for concern for public safety. "These juveniles need to be held in detention still," spoke Conlin during the afternoon hearings.
Yates and Green's connection to the two month-old St. Francis arson cases was also brought up, with Conlin playing the tape of the cell phone video. Yates' attorney Janikola argued that charges in the arson case haven't been filed yet and the voices on the tape were not identified yet, so the arson basis should not be considered while determining his client's release. Green's attorney Sauter also requested a electronic home monitoring option for his client so he could be sent home.
Judge James Dehn ordered Green and Yates back to the Lino Lakes Juvenile Detention Center, saying there was no evidence to the contrary that the boys were not a danger to themselves or others. He also added there is the potential risk for danger to the boys from the public since "some folks have reason to be very enraged" about the crimes.
The adult certification hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Isanti Co. Government Center. | Source: Isanti County News - Feb 10, 2006
Update posted on Feb 10, 2006 - 9:32PM |
References
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