A deer hunter who shot a boy's dog while bow hunting in Mansfield Township is behind bars at the Warren County jail.
Dean M. Sica, 36, formerly of Hoffman Road, Mansfield Township, drew a 30-day jail sentence and one year probation in state Superior Court.
"I just apologize for my actions," Sica said to the judge before sentencing. "I really thought it was a coyote that day."
Sica, now of Avenel, N.J., said the dog did not have a collar. The Rupell family disagrees. State Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife officials have said the collar could have been knocked off by the arrow.
Sica pleaded guilty in November to possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and possession of a weapon by a person prohibited from having one because of a past conviction.
In 1993, Sica was convicted of fourth-degree aggravated assault in Union County and drew an 18-month prison sentence, records show.
Sica has forfeited his bow and arrow and his hunting privileges. He must also pay $600 in restitution to the family under the plea bargain he struck with Warren County Assistant Prosecutor James J. Janci.
Superior Court Judge John Pursel also ordered Sica to pay a total of $260 in fines and costs for violating game regulations -- negligently discharging a weapon and causing injury to a pet while hunting.
One-year-old Cheyenne, a female German shepherd and golden retriever mix, managed to find her way home after being shot, authorities said. Rupell and his mother found the bleeding dog outside their home on Sept. 19.
Investigators traced a blood trail back to an empty tree stand where they found an arrow on the ground, authorities reported. Local hunters helped the investigators identify the shooter. Sica initially denied involvement but later admitted he shot the animal, authorities said.
Sica was perched in a 15-foot tree stand when he shot the dog, authorities said. He was bow hunting on the grounds of a hunting club near the Rupells' Hoffmann Road home.
Dogs can frighten away deer and that might have been the motive for the shooting, one court official said.
Newark attorney Paul M. Da Silva represented Sica. The attorney said the Sica family has moved twice since the incident occurred. He said harassment stemming from the dog's killing, including phone calls, prompted the family to leave Mansfield Township. References« Back to Search Results
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