Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 24, 2007 14:58:29 GMT -5
01.24.2007 - ACAMPO - A veteran officer in the Stockton Police Department has been charged with animal cruelty on suspicion he shot to death a neighborhood golden retriever that belonged to a Tracy police detective's family.
Sgt. John Egan Jr., 41, was ordered to appear next week in the San Joaquin County Superior Court for arraignment on the single misdemeanor count. The charge stems from the June 26 death of a 4-year-old female dog named Misha, court papers said.
Perry Anderson, the Tracy police detective who lives two doors from Egan in a rural Acampo neighborhood, declined to comment Monday on his dog's death. His wife, Katie Anderson, recalled the day she came home to the sad news.
"I went over there shaking and crying," she said. "I wanted to know, where did he get off shooting my dog?"
Yet nobody answered the door that day, Anderson said. Egan refused to comment Monday on the criminal charge when approached by a Record reporter at his ranchette off East Collier Road.
Katie Anderson said she wasn't home when her dog died and didn't witness the shooting. Other neighbors told her that Misha and another dog were at play, running between the houses. No fences separate the 5-acre lots, she said.
Children playing in their yards heard a shot and then a yelp from Misha. Within 20 minutes, Misha had convulsed and bled to death, Anderson said.
The Stockton veterinarian who performed the autopsy told the family their dog died from a single shot fired from a high-powered pellet gun. The pellet was fired from about 40 feet and entered the dog's side from behind, Anderson said.
"She was the most passive dog I've owned," she said. "There's absolutely no excuse for it."
Egan, who remains on active duty, has worked with the Stockton Police Department for 17 years and was promoted to sergeant in 2002, said Officer Pete Smith, a spokesman for the department.
Smith would not comment on the charge, saying it was a private matter.
Scott Fichtner, Chief Deputy District Attorney for the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, sent Egan a letter dated last Tuesday telling him he had to appear in the Courthouse in Stockton under the threat of having a warrant issued for his arrest, according to the court file.
Fichtner declined to comment on the case, such as explaining what may have motivated the shooting. Egan told neighbors that day that Misha had been aggressive toward his own dogs, Katie Anderson said.
Anderson said Misha's death was especially difficult for her two daughters, ages 4 and 8. The family had raised Misha since she was a puppy, she said, calling her one of the most playful and gentle dogs she has ever owned.
"The kids climbed all over her," Anderson said. "You could give her a treat, and she'd crouch down low, gently taking the treat from you."
www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/A_NEWS/701230318
Sgt. John Egan Jr., 41, was ordered to appear next week in the San Joaquin County Superior Court for arraignment on the single misdemeanor count. The charge stems from the June 26 death of a 4-year-old female dog named Misha, court papers said.
Perry Anderson, the Tracy police detective who lives two doors from Egan in a rural Acampo neighborhood, declined to comment Monday on his dog's death. His wife, Katie Anderson, recalled the day she came home to the sad news.
"I went over there shaking and crying," she said. "I wanted to know, where did he get off shooting my dog?"
Yet nobody answered the door that day, Anderson said. Egan refused to comment Monday on the criminal charge when approached by a Record reporter at his ranchette off East Collier Road.
Katie Anderson said she wasn't home when her dog died and didn't witness the shooting. Other neighbors told her that Misha and another dog were at play, running between the houses. No fences separate the 5-acre lots, she said.
Children playing in their yards heard a shot and then a yelp from Misha. Within 20 minutes, Misha had convulsed and bled to death, Anderson said.
The Stockton veterinarian who performed the autopsy told the family their dog died from a single shot fired from a high-powered pellet gun. The pellet was fired from about 40 feet and entered the dog's side from behind, Anderson said.
"She was the most passive dog I've owned," she said. "There's absolutely no excuse for it."
Egan, who remains on active duty, has worked with the Stockton Police Department for 17 years and was promoted to sergeant in 2002, said Officer Pete Smith, a spokesman for the department.
Smith would not comment on the charge, saying it was a private matter.
Scott Fichtner, Chief Deputy District Attorney for the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, sent Egan a letter dated last Tuesday telling him he had to appear in the Courthouse in Stockton under the threat of having a warrant issued for his arrest, according to the court file.
Fichtner declined to comment on the case, such as explaining what may have motivated the shooting. Egan told neighbors that day that Misha had been aggressive toward his own dogs, Katie Anderson said.
Anderson said Misha's death was especially difficult for her two daughters, ages 4 and 8. The family had raised Misha since she was a puppy, she said, calling her one of the most playful and gentle dogs she has ever owned.
"The kids climbed all over her," Anderson said. "You could give her a treat, and she'd crouch down low, gently taking the treat from you."
www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/A_NEWS/701230318
