On Saturday, July 9, at 5:55 p.m. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies and an animal control officer responded to Old County Road in Bristol on a report of a dog being shot. The dog’s owner, Shawn Wilkie, 41, said he had been inside his home alone and his dog, a 6-month-old fox terrier, had been tethered outside. Wilkie reported that he heard two gun shots and the dog yelped. He went outside to find his dog had been shot.

Officials took the deceased dog to Midcoast Animal Hospital for an autopsy. A K-9 unit from the Maine State Police also arrived to do an article search for spent shell casings. Nothing was found during the K-9 search. The examination of the dog’s body revealed the dog had been shot with a .177 caliber pellet and internal bleeding eventually killed the dog.

Upon further questioning, it was revealed that Wilkie owned a high-powered .177 caliber pellet rifle and he allegedly subsequently admitted to shooting his own dog. Wilkie claimed to have shot the dog by accident while attempting to shoot a chipmunk.

Wilkie was arrested for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals and was transported to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.  He was later released on bail pending an appearance in court.