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MIDWAY — A Midway man accused of fatally shooting his neighbor's dog has been charged.
Rodrek "Rod" Kenner Storms, 72, was charged Tuesday in Utah's 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal and possession of a weapon with intent to assault, class A misdemeanors.
He is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court on Sept. 25.
According to court documents, on Saturday, "Blue" an 8-year-old greater Swiss mountain dog, was in a Midway neighbor's yard as the dog has been in the past. The neighbors did not mind. But Storms, who lives across the street, rode his bicycle past the yard several times in an apparent attempt to lure the animal into the street, according to witnesses.
"Rod stated the dog has a history of chasing people on the road. Rod stated he was on the bike path when the dog aggressively came at him, so he shot it," a report from the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office states. He allegedly told a resident, "Blue had been a problem long enough, and he took care of it."
However, when deputies arrived, they found no evidence Blue had attacked Storms.
"Evidence was more consistent with Rod standing on the bike path and shooting the dog in the side of the head as it was leaving the road," according to the report. "The evidence was not consistent with Rod's claim of self defense."
Deputies say Storms "has had issues with Blue for several years," and "on several occasions Rod has tried to get Blue to chase him or to come onto the road so he can report it to animal control," according to their report.
Neighbors stated Blue will bark at pedestrians or bicyclists on the road but "is not aggressive," and neighbors were "not aware of Blue ever attacking or biting anyone," the report states.
Aaron and Aimee Simpson, Blue's owners who were not home when the shooting occurred, were called by a neighbor shortly after the incident. On Monday, the sheriff's office announced it would be seeking criminal charges from prosecutors.
