In September of 2019, the service dog of a Vietnam War veteran had to be euthanized after a neighbor shot the animal in the head for no reason. Now, after pleading guilty to an animal cruelty charge, the neighbor has finally learned what his punishment will be.
The U.K. Metro reported that William Stroemel, 64, was sentenced to five years in prison this week in exchanged for his guilty plea for the animal cruelty charge as well as a weapons charge. The charges related to him shooting a seven-pound poodle named Toby in the head with an air rifle in Maple Shade, New Jersey.
Police say that Stroemel, who is known by the nickname of “Wild Willie,” shot Toby as the dog walked in the street in front of his home. He then gave the weapon to a friend telling them to hide it for him, but the friend instead handed the air rifle over to police upon learning what Stroemel had done to the canine.
Stroemel owned the air rifle despite the fact that he was banned from owning firearms by a judge the year before.
The veteran who owned Toby reportedly found the dog seriously injured, thinking at first that a car had hit him. It was only when he had the poodle X-rayed that he discovered a metal object, later found to be an air rifle pellets, was embedded in the dog’s skull near his right eye.
Vets were left with no choice but to euthanize Toby, leaving his owner heartbroken.
“There are few criminal acts as callous as shooting an innocent dog that is the beloved pet of one of your neighbors,’ said prosecutor Scott Coffina. “Toby was not just a family pet, he was also a therapy dog and helped relieve the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by a Vietnam War veteran.”
“Such flagrant disregard for life and the impact of one’s actions demands serious punishment, and we believe this plea agreement reflects that,” Coffina added.
Social media users have since been slamming Stroemel as a “vile heartless scumbag,” and we would have to agree with them. Hurting any animal is inexcusable, but harming the service dog of a veteran who valiantly served his country is as low as it gets.
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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