By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 60-year-old landowner, who was charged with animal cruelty for killing a dog, admitted that the dog was not chasing cattle on his property when he fatally shot it, Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy David Barnes alleged in an affidavit.
Tommy Lee Reinhardt of Arcadia was mailed a letter from the District Attorney’s Office when the felony charge was filed last week to voluntarily appear in court on Aug. 20 for arraignment or face arrest, court records show.
The sheriff’s deputy was sent at 4:30 p.m. on April 6 to assist the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on an accident south of 44th on Highway 108/Ripley Road about a disturbance possibly involving firearms at the scene, his affidavit said.
“On my arrival, Trooper Harper advised me the disturbance stemmed from Reinhardt shooting (the man’s) dog, which was in Reinhardt’s field on the west side of Ripley Road. I observed a deceased, large, white dog in the bed of (the dog owner’s relative’s) pickup,” that struck Reinhardt’s vehicle on the west side of the road, the deputy alleged in an affidavit.
“Reinhardt told me he had shot the dog because the dog, along with two other dogs, had been chasing his cattle. I asked Reinhardt where the dog was located when he shot it.
“Reinhardt indicated a fence brace post approximately 50 yards west of the road on the east side of a large pond. I observed all the cattle were on the west side of the pond.
“When I questioned Reinhardt about the relative positions of the dogs and cattle, Reinhardt admitted the dogs had not been chasing his cattle when he shot (the man’s) dog.
“Reinhardt then told me that he had been advised by ‘the sheriff’ 10 years ago that he could shoot a dog ‘for being on my property.’ I advised Reinhardt that state law allowed him to shoot dogs which were in the act of chasing his cows,” the deputy wrote in his affidavit.
The dog’s owner said he was talking to a relative and another man in the driveway of his residence “when he heard a gunshot and a dog yelping south of his location. He further stated he heard two more shots. (The dog’s owner) stated he realized his dog was not in the yard and that it was probably his dog that had been shot,” the affidavit said.
The dog’s owner said that he got in his vehicle, pulled up to 44 and Ripley Road, and saw Reinhardt’s vehicle backing out of the driveway to Reinhardt’s pasture; he said the vehicle then headed north on Highway 108/Ripley Road, the affidavit said.
The dog’s owner said “he turned southbound and started flashing his headlights at Reinhardt’s vehicle in an attempt to get Reinhardt to stop to talk to him,” then drove on south and pulled into the driveway to the gate into Reinhardt’s pasture, the affidavit alleged.
“He stated Reinhardt turned around and came back down to the location and parked alongside the highway facing south just south of the driveway on the west side of the roadway. (The dog’s owner) stated Reinhardt immediately exited his vehicle with an AR-15 which had a magazine inserted in the rifle,” the affidavit alleged.
The dog’s owner “stated Reinhardt did not point the weapon at him directly. Reinhardt admitted he got out of his truck with the rifle because he did not know what (the dog owner’s) intentions were. Reinhardt denied the rifle was loaded and denied having a magazine inserted into the rifle,” the affidavit alleged.
In the meantime, the two men headed down to the location in a pickup, the affidavit said. One of the men, who is related to the dog’s owner, “stated he was very concerned because he saw Reinhardt had the AR-15 with a magazine in it in his hand while he was confronting,” the dog’s owner, the affidavit alleged.
That man said he was driving fast due to concern for the dog’s owner and during an attempt to stop, slid on the grass and struck Reinhardt’s vehicle with his vehicle, the affidavit alleged.
That man, who is related to the dog’s owner, “stated Reinhardt threatened to shoot him twice at the scene,” but finally put the rifle back into his truck, the affidavit alleged.
The man said he then climbed the fence onto Reinhardt’s property and recovered the dead dog lying about 20 feet from the east fence line, the affidavit alleged.
Reinhardt was charged with threatening a violent act, as well as animal cruelty, court records show.
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