Shooting dog with pellet gun nearly 40 times
Los Angeles, CA (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Apr 4, 2003
County: Los Angeles

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: William Craig Howard

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

A man who allegedly shot one of his two dogs numerous times with a pellet gun because the animal jumped on his car was charged with animal cruelty today and remanded into custody in lieu of $155,000 bail, the District Attorney's office announced.

William Craig Howard, 52 (dob 8-24-1950), was charged in case No. BA 246801 with three felony counts of animal cruelty (Section 597 (b) of the California Penal Code).  One of the counts involved the April 4 shooting of one of his two mixed Stafford shire terriers and the other two counts involved the care of the animals.  The cruelty count stemming from the shooting of the dog carried an allegation that Howard personally used a "deadly and dangerous weapon (s), to wit, pellet gun," to commit the crime.

The complaint also alleged that Howard in 1980 was convicted of mayhem (Section 203 of the Penal Code) in case No. A194399.  Bail was recommended at $155,000 and when Howard appeared in court for arraignment, he was taken into custody.

A plea of not guilty was entered and the defendant was scheduled to return to Division 50 of Los Angeles Superior Court on May 13 for a pre-preliminary hearing on the case.

Los Angeles police were summoned to Howard's home in the 1600 block of West 85th Street by neighbors on April 4 after one of the dogs, a female, was shot.  Authorities said the dog, which will survive the wounds, had been shot more than three dozen times.  The dog also had an infected old wound and fruit pit imbedded in its ear.  The other dog, a male, was not wounded.  Both were tied to trees in the back yard of the home.

Howard was arrested and booked on suspicion of animal cruelty.  He was freed on $20,000 bail.  The case was presented to the District Attorney's office today by Los Angeles police.  It was filed by Deputy District Attorney Malcolm Jordan.  A prosecutor has not yet been assigned to handle the case.

Case Updates

References

• « CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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