Witness describes shooting of chihuahua
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Saturday, March 08, 2008
By Emily Ingram and Tommy Witherspoon
Tribune-Herald staff writers
An attorney for a local FBI agent charged with killing a 3 pound Chihuahua says his client “feels very badly for what happened” but that there are two sides to the story.
Lovett Leslie Ledger, 39, is under investigation for allegedly shooting the dog with a pump pellet gun in front of his home near Lorena last week. He was arrested Friday and charged with cruelty to animals, a state jail felony.
“It is obviously a regrettable situation,” said Ledger’s attorney, Rob Swanton. “Mr. Ledger certainly feels very badly for what happened. But even with that being said, there are other factors that are important in assessing what happened, and I anticipate those will come out at the appropriate time.”
A neighbor, who didn’t want her name used for fear of retaliation, said she was at home the afternoon of Feb. 29 in the 900 block of Estes Road when the dog, Sassy, was killed.
The neighbor said she heard her dogs barking and came outside to see Sassy walking on Estes Road. The dog lurched to one side upon being shot, then rolled into a yard, where she died, the neighbor said.
“I’ve never heard a noise like that from an animal,” the neighbor said, describing it as “a screaming sound.”
The neighbor said she saw Ledger lower the pellet gun and walk inside his home with one of his children. A group of people gathered around the dog, and the neighbor said she could see a hole in Sassy’s neck above her pink rhinestone collar.
Sassy belonged to an 8-year-old girl who lived down the block, the neighbor said.
The dog’s owner, Jason Davis, declined to comment Friday night when reached by the Tribune-Herald.
According to a sworn affidavit by McLennan County Sheriff’s Lt. Clay Perry, Ledger told at least two investigators he knew nothing about Sassy’s death before telling deputies he shot the dog.
Swanton declined to elaborate beyond his original statement when asked about the shooting and wouldn’t comment on whether the shooting occurred in front of Ledger’s son.
Chief Deputy Randy Plemons declined to comment on the investigation.
FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said the bureau is directing all comment to the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and that the FBI is cooperating fully with the investigation.
In an earlier interview, Vasys said the FBI will “conduct its own internal review of the employee’s actions.”
Ledger was released from the McLennan County Jail on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond Friday morning, a jail spokeswoman said.
If convicted of a state jail felony, Ledger faces 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
Staff writer Erin Quinn contributed to this story.
eingram@wacotrib.com
