A St. Mary’s County man has been charged with animal cruelty after police say he shot and slit the throat of a dog at Newtowne Neck State Park.
Maryland Natural Resources Police say Marcus Stauffer was deer hunting on Christmas Day when he saw a dog, and shot it twice with a muzzleloader. Stauffer then allegedly cut the dog's throat.
Stauffer later told police he thought the dog was a stray and that he "shot it for the public.''
The dog and another retriever are owned by a ranger who lives at the park. The dogs, which wore collars, were confined to a porch while the ranger worked but broke free.
The charges of animal cruelty, aggravated animal cruelty and destruction of property under $1,000 were approved by the St. Mary's County State's Attorney.
It wasn't immediately clear if Stauffer has an attorney.
