Asheville man kills 3 dogs after argument with his children

Quarrel over care led to shooting

by Mike McWilliams, MMCWILLIAMS@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

published February 27, 2008 12:15 am

An Asheville man shot and killed three dogs following an argument he had about their care, authorities said Tuesday.

“Basically, the guy came home, he had been drinking, got into an argument with his children about their lack of care for the dogs and then decided to go out and shoot them with a handgun,” Buncombe County Sheriff’s Lt. Ross Dillingham said.

Sheldon Wesley Johnson, 41, of Mount Carmel Place, was charged with three counts of felony cruelty to animals. Investigators said he killed two pit bull puppies and a Dalmatian, according to warrants.

Johnson remained jailed Tuesday night in the Buncombe County Detention Center. Bond was set at $30,000.

Officers investigated 572 complaints of animal cruelty in Buncombe County last year, said Lt. Helen Hall, supervisor of the Buncombe County Sheriff Office animal control division.

Hall did not know how many of those complaints yielded criminal charges. Most cases involve citations or are remedied by the pet owner, Hall said.

There have been four cases since July of a person killing an animal, she said.

“This is more the exception than the rule, thank God,” Hall said.

Renee Smith, who lives near Johnson, said she was sitting at her computer about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday when she heard five gunshots. She got up, peeked out her front door and saw two squad cars driving toward the scene.

Smith said she doesn’t know Johnson. Smith owns a dog, a 7-year-old Boxer named Alf.

“I love him, and I think anybody that’s cruel to animals, don’t need an animal,” Smith said.