Charging docs: Man charged in connection with fatally shooting dog thought it was a coyote
A man is facing animal cruelty-related charges after police say he fatally shot a dog.
Police identified Robert Anthony Harley, 70, of Harwood, as the suspect, and they believe he shot Maisie, a Belgian Malinois.
A woman reported on April 23 that her dog went missing three days prior, and she had reason to believe the dog had been shot.
The dog's owner said, Shannon Smith-Wood, said Maisie was 11 months old. Smith-Wood said she searched for days with drones and volunteers, then she called police.
The dog's remains have not been found.
"I just wanted to bury her," Smith-Wood said. "I mean, she's our dog. She's part of the family."
Two weeks after the dog went missing, Harley was charged with two counts of animal cruelty.
"All I've gotten is they don't know what happened," Smith-Wood said. "It disappeared, and continued to this day."
According to court charging documents, Harley got a shotgun after his son called to say there was a coyote outside.
"He retrieved a shotgun and watched the animal's shadow go back and forth in the woods alongside the driveway, all he could see was ears," documents said.
The documents stated that Harley shot the animal twice, killing it. The animal didn't display aggression, but Harley believed it to be a coyote, so he felt the need to protect himself and his family, charging documents allege.
"He could certainly raise that as a defense, right? And we have the burden of proof to prove that he did cause this harm to the animal," said Marc Limansky, a spokesperson for Anne Arundel County police.
While it is legal to hunt coyotes in Maryland, charging documents state Harley does not hold any Maryland hunting licenses or permits.
"Right now, no violations of hunting law have been filed, so that is still pending and could result in that in the future," Limansky said.
Smith-Wood stressed that if you see a coyote, move away from it and call authorities.
"I just want it to maybe stop one person from doing this again," Smith-Wood said.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts to Maisie's remains to call them at 410-222-1960, or by reaching out anonymously to the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.
