DARLINGTON - Two Shullsburg men have been charged with shooting and killing a dog after taking it from a Darlington residence without the owner's consent.
Troy D. Jamison, 24, and Aaron T. Nielsen, 38, each face a Class I felony charge of shooting a restrained animal and a Class A misdemeanor charge of dognapping.
The charges arose after an incident on March 27, when a pit bull named Luke bit Nielsen's child at a residence in the 200 block of Catherine Street in Darlington. The child was rushed to the hospital, where Jamison dropped Nielsen off some time later.
After leaving the hospital, Jamison picked up Nielsen's 15-year-old son and retrieved Luke without the consent or knowledge of the owner. Acting on advice from Nielsen, Jamison transported Luke to his home in the 8000 block of Rodham Road, Town of Shullsburg, where he tied him to a tree in the backyard. Nielsen's son then shot Luke in the head with a rifle.
According to the police report, Nielsen claimed he had told Luke's owner that he would shoot the dog if he ever felt the dog posed a threat to his children. Luke's owner said he had never heard Nielsen make that threat and, in any case, did not consent to have his dog killed.
Luke's owner, his neighbor and the babysitter who was watching Nielsen's child at the time of the bite all agreed that Luke had never displayed any aggressive behavior. Another child who witnessed the bite said the victim had been playing rough with Luke, slapping him on the head.
Jamison and Nielsen will appear in court on Monday for their initial appearances.
Troy D. Jamison, 24, and Aaron T. Nielsen, 38, each face a Class I felony charge of shooting a restrained animal and a Class A misdemeanor charge of dognapping.
The charges arose after an incident on March 27, when a pit bull named Luke bit Nielsen's child at a residence in the 200 block of Catherine Street in Darlington. The child was rushed to the hospital, where Jamison dropped Nielsen off some time later.
After leaving the hospital, Jamison picked up Nielsen's 15-year-old son and retrieved Luke without the consent or knowledge of the owner. Acting on advice from Nielsen, Jamison transported Luke to his home in the 8000 block of Rodham Road, Town of Shullsburg, where he tied him to a tree in the backyard. Nielsen's son then shot Luke in the head with a rifle.
According to the police report, Nielsen claimed he had told Luke's owner that he would shoot the dog if he ever felt the dog posed a threat to his children. Luke's owner said he had never heard Nielsen make that threat and, in any case, did not consent to have his dog killed.
Luke's owner, his neighbor and the babysitter who was watching Nielsen's child at the time of the bite all agreed that Luke had never displayed any aggressive behavior. Another child who witnessed the bite said the victim had been playing rough with Luke, slapping him on the head.
Jamison and Nielsen will appear in court on Monday for their initial appearances.