A Cogan Station man was sentenced on summary criminal charges Tuesday for shooting, killing and dumping a German shepherd into the Susquehanna River near Jersey Shore late in 2010.
Kevin Michael Neff, 22, was sentenced in Lycoming County court by Judge Marc F. Lovecchio to 90 days' electronic monitoring and ordered to make $600 restitution to Richard and Deanna Boehart, of 322 Bobst Mountain Road, Cogan Station, owners of the white shepherd that was found floating in the river on Jan. 6, 2011, according to investigators.
Neff's sentencing was in accordance with a plea arrangement he made with the Lycoming County district attorney's office.
According to arrest records filed Nov. 7, 2011, by Lawrence D. Woltz, Lycoming County SPCA humane officer, Neff shot the dog and hogtied a clothesline rope around its muzzle, attached it to a cinder block and threw the carcass in the river.
Woltz said Neff shot the dog because it was interfering with his hunting and trapping on his property.
The Boeharts initially reported their two dogs - the German shepherd and a Labrador retriever - missing from their home. The Labrador was found with a steel trap on its leg on Neff's property. Skippy, the German shepherd, did not return.
A witness heard Neff talking about killing the dog at a Linden bowling alley, according to Woltz's affidavit. The witness said she heard Neff say he shot the dog and had the remains in the back of his truck. She also confirmed Neff's anger about the dogs interfering with his trapping.
Asked if he was content with Neff's sentence, Woltz said, "Our job is to present the facts to the courts, and the decision of the judge, we accept those decisions."
"He has admitted he did what he did," added Woltz. "Even though it may be a plea bargain, there are some consequences to it. It's not going to bring the dog back; it's not going to make the family feel better."
