NEWBURY — A Newbury man was arrested on charges of illegally setting a trap in which he captured and then shot a neighbor’s dog.
State Game Warden Mark Schichtle and State Trooper Chuck Schulze responded to a complaint on Tuesday, February 11 from Amy Emerson of Newbury. Ms. Emerson reported that her dog had gone missing and she followed the animal’s tracks to her neighbor’s property. She found the dog caught in an illegally set trap, having been shot and killed.
Following a joint investigation, Richard Martin, 45, was charged with cruelty to animals and four separate counts of illegal trapping.
Martin is scheduled to appear in Orange County Court on March 19, 2014 to answer to the charges. He has previously been cited for trapping violations.
“Vermont has strict trapping regulations on the books, and trappers are generally skilled at selecting trap sites that do not have the potential to harm pets,” said Major Dennis Reinhardt. “On the very rare occasion that a dog does get caught in a trap, the trapper is almost always able to release the animal unharmed. The shooting of this dog was very unfortunate.”
“Trapping is a highly regulated activity in Vermont,” said Reinhardt. “The trap that captured this dog was illegally set out of season.”
