Joel T. Jackson, 50, of Manchester has a curious defense after he shot and killed a one-year dog named Chincee because he has an abnormal fear of dogs. His counsel added that “He was surprised a BB gun would have that kind of effect.” He could receive as much as six months for the killing. Notably, however, the intentional shooting of a family pet remains only a misdemeanor — given less protection than breaking into a shed and stealing property.
A witness told police that she saw Jackson walk up to the family’s fence and fire the weapon. She heard a dog yelping in pain. Jackson reportedly had a hood over his head and ran down the street. She followed him to his house and confronted him, saying that she saw what he did. He went inside his house and police were called. At first, Jackson denied the shooting but later insisted that he simply was afraid of dogs. The feeling is now mutual I am sure.
His lawyer praised the judge for dropping a more serious charged and insisted he admitted being guilty (of animal cruelty). He says that he has an abnormal fear of dogs, and that the dog scared him. He kind of went off the deep end a little bit. … But he maintains he did not recklessly endanger anybody, and the good judge agreed with him.” However, the dog was not known to have escaped his yard before he executed the animal.
Notably, however, Jackson destroyed the weapon after shooting the German shepherd/boxer mix. There is an added twist to the sentencing for November. If the judge decides that the BB gun is a deadly weapon, Jackson would be subject to an enhanced sentencing. However, deadly is generally defined in terms of humans not pets.
Chincee was known to put her paws on the fence to be petted by people going by, according to the family. They believe that is what she was doing when Jackson shot her.
While his lawyer insists that he has “remorse,” he reportedly lied to police, evaded witnesses, and may have destroyed the weapon. With all of that and killing a family pet, he is looking only at a misdemeanor — just another example of how little protection is afforded to pets in this country.
Source: York Dispatch
Go civil and take money from him,not because it makes you whole, but……
If you google: George Taylor Fulton State Hospital, you will get the story of the guy locked up at age 7 and held in mental hospitals in Missoura for 25 years. They were forced to have his case heard in St. Louis County Probate Court and admitted that he was not mentally ill or mentally retarded. The Associated Press articles were posted in newspapers around the United States. Mizzoura had its moment in the sun so to speak. This was back in the late 70’s when “reform” started.
I am not arguing to lock up dog shooter for the rest of his life in a mental hospital. He needs punishment if he is just evil and treatment if he is wacko.
I disagree with OtterayScribe about the demise of the wonderful mental hospitals in the seventies. Yeah, you have to look at bag ladies on the street. Put them out of sight and out of mind by locking them up in mental hospitals like Saint Louis State Hospital on Arsenal in St. Louis or the Biggs Unit in Fulton, MO? If Mizzoura is where you are from, then you’re mindset was the cause of the problem prior to reform.
Now nutcase here who has expressed an abnormal fear of dogs is either evil or mentally deranged. If evil then ten days in jail, ten years probation, with no access to guns, slingshots, or anyone’s dog. There should be a perp list for dogs in that state–named after him.
This week it’s a dog minding it’s own business in it’s own yard who or what does this ‘jackass’ kill next week? This guy needs some medical evaluation now…
He is open for a Civil Lawsuit. A family pet is a loving addition to a family, I’m sure the dog suffered and his owners also suffered unable to stop his pain. This family was damaged and according to the Law has a right to a jury of their peers (animal lovers).
Regarding the speculation the shooter may be mentally ill. That may be true, although we have no way of knowing for sure based only on news reports. For all we know, he may have a long history of psychiatric treatment.
If in fact he is mentally ill, that presents another problem. The mental health treatment system is broken, and broken badly. It used to be that states operated mental hospitals that took the overflow when local hospitals were overwhelmed. Additionally, there are patients who cannot and should not be released back into society. Mostly because they have no outside support system and cannot care for themselves. In the 1970s, when it became fashionable to discharge patients from state hospitals willy-nilly, we started to see a new phenomenon. Bag ladies, homeless sleeping under bridges and in alleyways, and jails becoming the new psychiatric emergency rooms. I wrote about this a few months ago.
As for people like the man who shot the dog. I recall a guy who lived two doors down the street from me who started wandering around his back yard with a 30-30 lever action deer rifle. I knew the guy had a history of mental problems. When he started pointing his rifle at neighborhood pets and kids, I started the paperwork to have him picked up on an involuntary commitment. He spent several weeks getting treatment in the state mental hospital. The judge ordering the commitment also ordered his relatives to seize his firearms and never give them back to him. That was in a time when we did not have to fight insurance adjusters over whether he needed to be in a hospital. These days, the choice is jail or outpatient treatment. If they do go to a private psychiatric hospital, seldom do they stay as long as five days. Most mental health centers have a backlog, so it may be weeks before even the sickest patient can get an appointment.
Our mental health treatment system is not just bent and broken, it is mangled beyond recognition. More on this topic at a later date.
Isn’t this something else! Thank goodness he wasn’t afraid of small children like the teacher who used that as an argument to get disability. Another example of mentally ill individuals using firearms. It’s not the firearm but the person.