A Fayette County teen was arrested June 5 on misdemeanor cruelty to animals after an incident that resulted in the shooting death of a neighbor’s dog on her rear deck. The teen’s father offered an opposing view of the incident, one that questions the charges against his son.
Phillip V. Stout, 17, (photo above) was charged with one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals, according to Fayette County Jail records.
Fayette County deputies on June 5 at approximately 2:45 p.m. responded to a residence on Emerald Lake Drive off South Jeff Davis Drive. The homeowner showed deputies her 7-year-old dog that was located on an enclosed deck. The dog had a small bullet hole in the chest area and was dead, according to incident reports.
The homeowner said she had not experienced problems with neighbors, adding that no one had recently been in her back yard.
Deputies while at the scene spoke with animal control about a visit earlier in the day. The deputy was told that a dog had been reported barking and chasing children, though the dog was not located when animal control arrived according to reports.
The deputy used bloodhound “Georgia” to attempt to establish a trail starting at the back deck where the dead dog was found, with Georgia subsequently proceeding to Stout’s residence.
Incident reports said deputies spoke with Stout’s father and asked if they could view footage from the video camera they had noticed while approaching the house.
The incident report said Stout’s father during the conversation said a dog had come into his yard earlier while his children were mowing the grass and had acted aggressively toward them, according to reports.
Reports noted that the video also showed the elder Stout’s children walking across the front yard with a gun, and in the direction of the victim’s house, with Stout’s father saying they were standing guard.
Deputies in the report said the video later showed Phillip Stout returning to his property carrying a stick, though he was seen originally carrying a rifle.
Upon being told by deputies that the neighbor’s dog had been shot while in a contained area, Stout’s father then said, “Phillip shot the dog. The dog was being aggressive and he shot it in our yard.”
Deputies asked for a copy of the video and were told by Stout’s father that they would have to subpoena it. Deputies requested and were given the .22 caliber pellet rifle, reports said.
Based on all the evidence obtained, and after the interviews, Phillip Stout was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
Phillip Stout’s father, Tim Stout, contacted The Citizen with an alternative version of the incident. He maintained that the neighbor’s dog was shot in his yard.
Tim Stout also maintained that the notation on the incident report indicated that the “scent dog” tracked Phillip back to his house from the neighbor’s yard.
“That’s not the case,” said Stout. “The scent dog was tracking the neighbor’s dog, not Phillip, because he was never on their property.”
The elder Stout said it was his son’s intent “to scare the dog after it scared the kids.”
“It was never the intent to seriously harm the dog or have it die,” Tim Stout said.
