North Carolina couple charged with poisoning neighbors’ dogs, threatening ‘your daughter is next’
A North Carolina couple is accused of poisoning three of their neighbors’ dogs. Two of those Labrador Retrievers, Big Brown and LP, died from kidney failure. Their pal Scruffy survived.
Phillip and Jessica Ridley told WRAL News one of their dogs was allegedly killed in July 2022 and another died last weekend, shortly before the third was hospitalized. Three veterinarians evaluated the dogs and reportedly confirmed they each were poisoned.
James and Agnes Goldston were charged with those deaths Thursday after the Ridleys notified Wake County, N.C., law enforcement.
“It’s traumatizing,” Phill Ridley told WRAL, describing his poisoned dogs as going from perfectly healthy to “seizing and collapsing.”
The Goldstons were known to poison squirrels with antifreeze, the Ridleys said. At first, they thought their dogs might have eaten the squirrels and gotten sick, but menacing letters made them believe otherwise.
Jessica Ridley said threats have been coming for more than a year. One letter they reportedly received warned that “if one or both of these dogs put their paws on my property, I am going to blow their brains out.” Another read, “Your daughter is next.”
Other neighbors in the Raleigh, N.C. Black Horse Run subdivision received similarly threatening anonymous letters, according to law enforcement.
“It was a nightmare,” Jessica Ridley said.
The Goldstons were arrested Thursday night and posted $30,000 bond apiece. They’re each charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty.
Pet owners who believe their dogs may have ingested poison can call the ASPCA poison control center at (888) 426-4435.
