Preliminary hearing held for Augusta County man charged in dog killing
STAUNTON — A man accused of killing his neighbor's dog earlier this year had his charges certified to the Augusta County grand jury on Tuesday following a preliminary hearing.
Louis E. Davis Jr., 67, of Waynesboro, is charged with felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor reckless handling of a firearm.
He's accused of using a .44 magnum revolver to kill a Husky, his neighbor's service dog, near his property on Sept. 15. The shooting took place in the 200 block of Rip Rap Road near Waynesboro.
Evidence during Tuesday's hearing in Augusta County General District Court showed that Davis, when speaking with a deputy following the shooting, changed his version of events. "He gave us several stories," said 1st. Sgt. Michael Roane of the Augusta County Sheriff's Office.
At first Davis claimed he aimed at an indentation in his yard about 30 feet away and fired, and said the ricochet hit the animal. Roane said there was no such evidence at the scene.
"The story was incredible," Roane said on the stand, drawing an objection from defense attorney Scott Hansen. Judge Rupen Shah sustained the objection.
In another account, Roane said Davis, who also claimed the dog was on his property, told him he shot toward the Husky but said it didn't appear the canine was hurt. The dog — along with a blood trail — was found just off of Davis' property, according to Roane. It died on the way to the animal hospital. The dog was shot in the spine, the sheriff's office said.
At a September bond hearing held in circuit court after Davis was denied bond in the lower court, several family members testified on his behalf. Evidence showed he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and his wife said it was a result of him finding their son dead in his bedroom a dozen years ago. Davis was granted a $5,000 bond at that hearing.
On Tuesday, Judge Shah certified the two charges against Davis to the Augusta County grand jury, which meets Jan. 22.
After the shooting, Davis' wife, Theresa Davis, was charged with assault in a Sept. 28 incident after she allegedly drove her car toward Joseph Sande, the owner of the service dog that was killed, as he walked along a road. He also obtained a protective order against her. Shah continued the misdemeanor assault case into May 2024. "To see how the parties behave," the judge said.
A second assault charge from an alleged Oct. 7 incident, where Theresa Davis was accused of driving her car toward Sande and his wife's vehicle, was dismissed, as was a protective order from that incident.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the last name of attorney Scott Hansen.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Prelim held for Augusta County man charged in dog killing
