LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Paisley man is accused of fatally shooting a hunting dog in the Ocala National Forest then stealing the hound's GPS tracking collars, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Jason McGhee was tracking his walker hound dog Remi Saturday afternoon when he heard barking then the sound of shots being fired, at which point the barking stopped, the report said.
Deputies said McGhee found Remi suffering from two gunshot wounds, missing her three GPS tracking collars and there were two .45-caliber shell casings nearby. McGhee said Remi never crossed onto any private property.
The three collars had a combined value of $900, according to the report.
McGhee was able to track the GPS collars to a residence at 47202 South West Ave., where 49-year-old Todd Sweitzer lives, deputies said.
Sweitzer immediately told deputies that he did not shoot a dog and hadn't seen any dog on his property, even before authorities asked him any questions, according to the affidavit.
When asked why he would automatically assume law enforcement officers were there about a dog, Sweitzer told them that his neighbor mentioned there was a hunting party looking for their dog near his property, the report said.
Deputies returned to the Paisley residence with a search warrant and Sweitzer immediately told them, "The collars are in the house in a box and the .45 (caliber gun) is concealed in an air-conditioning duct in the bathroom," officials said.
Sweitzer was arrested on charges of grand theft and animal cruelty.