Phillip Stout had his day in court after facing charges stemming from the death of a dog he shot in 2018. The Fayette County jury earlier this month found him not guilty.
The April 19 court filing noted that the jury found Stout not guilty of cruelty to animals and not guilty of criminal trespass, according to court documents.
It was in June 2018 that Phillip Stout, 17 years of age at the time, was arrested for fatally shooting a dog on a neighbor’s rear deck.
From the time of the incident, it was the continuous position of Phillip’s father, Tim Stout, that the dog was chasing children in his yard and that Phillip’s intention was to scare the dog away with the pellet gun when he fired the shot while on his family’s property.
“It was never the intent for the dog to die. (The intent was) to scare him off our property so he would not harm our children,” Tim Stout said.
Tim Stout said the security video from his home showed the dog on their property chasing the kids. Not realizing that the dog belonged to a neighbor, Tim Stout also noted that they believed the dog was a stray.
Tim Stout said the jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning with a verdict of not guilty.
“It was an agonizing 10 months,” Tim Stout said of the time between the charges being filed and the court date, and offering thanks for an abundance of support from the local community. “We’re very glad justice was served. I am very thankful to the community, our church and business professionals who supported Phillip throughout the case.”
Reflecting on the events that transpired, Tim Stout said he questioned what the outcome might have been if he had not had the video security camera system at his home and had not been able to hire a good attorney.
Among his other activities, Phillip Stout has been a captain on Whitewater High School football team, a worship leader with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a chorus and chorale member for several years, president of the Whitewater men’s chorus and a youth group worship leader at his church.
