A man who shot a neighbor’s dog with an arrow will not be tried again on a charge of cruelty to animals, Snohomish County prosecuting attorney Janice Ellis said Friday.
A jury earlier this month could not reach a unanimous decision in the case of Mycheal Antonio Gheparde of Everett, and Superior Court Judge Larry McKeeman declared a mistrial.
Prosecutors asked for a new trial date, but Friday’s decision ends the case.
Gheparde testified that the dog had been menacing him and his family. He told jurors he considered the animal a continuing threat to his family. He claimed he shot the dog in self-defense.
The dog, described by owners as a pit bull, had been in Gheparde’s back yard when he went in the house to get his bow and arrow. The dog was walking away from Gheparde’s residence when it was shot with an arrow.
Jurors voted 9-3 to convict Gheparde, but afterward expressed strong opinions on both sides of the question, Ellis said.
The office “has concluded there is no additional evidence that could be presented to obtain a unanimous verdict in the case,” Ellis said.
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