Neola man who threatened neighbors over dog pleads guilty to disorderly conduct

Neola man who threatened neighbors over dog pleads guilty to disorderly conduct

(File)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

DUCHESNE — A man accused of threatening his neighbors after one of them shot and killed his dog has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

James Patrick Markey, of Neola, has pleaded guilty in Duchesne County Justice Court to disorderly conduct, an infraction. He was ordered to pay a $150 fine, which he did the day after he entered his plea, court records show.

Markey, 47, was initially charged with possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and making threats of violence, both class B misdemeanors. He was also charged with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor.

Prosecutor Anthony Wilcox said he talked to everyone involved in the case and offered Markey a plea deal that was "in the best interest of justice."

"He considered the dog a member of his family and became extremely emotional after he found out the dog had been shot," Wilcox said, adding that prosecutors never considered filing charges against the woman who killed Markey's pit bull.

"Based on the information I've seen, it was justified self-defense," the prosecutor said.

Markey was arrested Nov. 29 for allegedly screaming threats at his neighbors after his 4-year-old pit bull Harley was shot to death. Markey was also accused of firing a gun from the back porch of his house after Harley was killed.


He considered the dog a member of his family and became extremely emotional after he found out the dog had been shot.

–Anthony Wilcox, prosecutor


Abram and Maggie Felsch said they came home to find Harley attacking their dog in their driveway, according to the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office. Abram Felsch told deputies he got out of the family's minivan and shot at the dog as it charged him.

None of the bullets struck Harley, who jumped into the minivan through the open driver's door, a sheriff's report states. Maggie Felsch was in the van with the couple's four children, who range in age from 1 ½ to 7 years old.

The mother, who was armed with a pistol, told deputies Harley lunged at her as she fired her first shot, striking the dog. The dog backed off briefly, she said, but moved in again to bite her legs so she shot the animal until it was dead.

The couple called for help, and responding deputies arrived a short time later. When the deputies went next door to inform Markey that his dog had been killed, they said Markey began making threats toward his neighbors.

Despite the alleged threats, Markey was not arrested and deputies left the area, only to return 45 minutes later on a report of "shots fired." Markey told deputies he was firing a rifle into a wooded area behind his house "to blow off some steam," the report states. Deputies arrested Markey.

Markey has adamantly maintained that his dog never attacked the Felsches or their dog. He has admitted that he was upset and behaved in disorderly manner after learning that Harley had been killed.

Abram and Maggie Felsch sold their house after the incident and moved away. A judge dismissed Maggie Felsch's request for a civil stalking injunction after she did not attend a Feb. 2 hearing in the case, court records show.

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Geoff Liesik

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast