By Tracie Sullivan, for Iron County Today
A 50-year-old Iron County man was arrested last Tuesday after allegedly shooting at two of his neighbor’s dogs, killing one of them.
Joshua Douglas Bailey, was taken into custody by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Iron County Jail. He was later released after posting a $1,000 bail.
According to the court documents filed in 5th District Court in support of the charges, the incident occurred on Monday evening around 8 p.m. east of Bailey’s property, located near 6100 North and 4100 West.
Bailey allegedly became frustrated when two dogs from a neighboring property entered his yard. After chasing them away, he retrieved a .22 caliber revolver from his home and then approached the area where the dogs had returned.
“It was reported he then got up, grabbed his firearm and voiced his frustrations about the sheriff’s office not doing anything about the dogs,” the affidavit states.
A witness reportedly heard gunshots and the sounds of dogs crying, and then observed Bailey walking back to his trailer.
On Tuesday morning, deputies arrived at the scene to investigate and found two dogs in an enclosed area on the neighboring property. One of the dogs was dead.
After being read his Miranda rights, Bailey admitted to shooting at the dogs from a distance of approximately 30 yards. He claimed that the dogs had been “at large” and that they had attacked him.
However, during their investigation, deputies discovered that the dogs appeared to have been secured on leashes within the enclosed area next to the trailer at the time of the incident.
“The owner of the trailer and the dogs was not home at the time this had occurred and was not home during the time of our initial investigation,” the affidavit states.
Bailey was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a class A misdemeanor. Additionally, he faces one count of discharging a firearm within 600 feet of a dwelling, a class B misdemeanor. He is scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks.