Dutchster,Dutchster wrote:Greetings from Cuyahoga County Ohio...
Just an update. First, the shooter did have a CHL. Our local "action" news station ran with this one til the cows came home, complete with snazzy graphics of a cute puppy in the cross hairs. They even had "Bubba" (the Rott owner) as he became affectionately known on the Ohio CCW Forum being interviewed multiple times. In Ohio it is not illegal to kill a dog that is off its property that is "approaching in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, that attempts to bite or otherwise endanger, or that kills or injures a person..."
This incident happened in the Cleveland Metroparks, which is a separate jurisdiction from Cleveland proper. All the Cleveland Metroparks rangers I know are pretty reasonable when it comes to carrying. One summer day I was open carrying on a hike because it was too doggone hot and we came across a ranger and his only comment was "good for you!"
After about two weeks the news totally dropped the story and never mentioned it again. Why? The prosecutor decided that although the Rott was primarily attacking the other dog, the shooter was legitimately in fear of injury because his dog ran behind him trying to escape leaving him between the Rott and its victim. No charges were filed against the shooter. The Rott owner was cited for 'dog at large' and he failed to show for his court hearing, so a warrant has been issued for his arrest. They may also file on him for menacing because while the CHL was sitting in the Ranger's car discussing the event, Bubba was dumb enough to walk over and demand to see the guy who shot his dog because he planned to kill him right there. Unfortunately for Bubba, he didn't know that the ranger's cruiser was camera equipped and it was all captured on audio.
First off welcome to the forum! Glad to have you with us. With the new Ohio laws that have been put into place recently it will be good having someone from there on the forum to provide info.
Secondly, thanks for the update on this event. Glad to hear the dog owner is in the clear. Media tends to sensationalize on anything they can, and knowing that the CHL holder was justified is a good thing.