Visit www.lewiscountywatch.com for news on courts and emergency services in Lewis County and surrounding areas.
Longview police have declined to make any arrests or seek charges related to the shooting of two dogs earlier this month, but the agency has turned the case back to the Cowlitz County Humane Society for further investigation.
"We did not reach a conclusion for animal cruelty charges," Longview Police Captain Robert Huhta said Wednesday.
Huhta said the potential for charges of theft were also brought up, but police declined to pursue those as well.
Animal cruelty cases typically fall under the jurisdiction of the Humane Society, Huhta said, explaining why Longview PD is handing the case back.
The Humane Society could still recommend charges to the prosecutor when it concludes its own investigation. Humane Society Executive Director Charmaine Nawrocki said it's too early to say when their investigation will conclude.
Huhta and Nawrocki declined to comment on the motives of the shooter or to identify him, citing the ongoing investigation.
About two months ago, a cat was reportedly killed by two huskies, according to Huhta and a Longview PD press release. (Luke Moore, the Longview owner of the dogs, earlier this week reported that the incident occurred closer to three or four months ago.)
The Humane Society asked Moore to more carefully monitor 3-year-old Link, the husky that Moore said killed the cat, according to Moore.
Nawrocki said the Humane Society could not absolutely confirm the dogs were to blame because the owner of the cat could not identify the huskies. Regardless, it is against the law for dogs to be running at large, she said.
Link left the family's house again in the evening of Sept. 6, escaping along with 2-year-old Marley.
The cat owner saw the dogs running loose that day at John Null Park and recognized them from the attack, Huhta said. The cat owner caught them and said he or she called the Humane Society and left a voicemail about the two dogs. A relative of the cat owner took custody of the dogs and waited to hear back from the Humane Society.
Nawrocki said the Humane Society has no records of receiving a call from the cat owner's family that day.
"We did not receive any calls, voicemails or messages from these people who had picked them up," she said.
However, she added that the Humane Society's animal control division only responds to emergency calls after-hours. A stray dog would have to be displaying "some sort of aggression" or other dangerous behavior for animal control to respond after regular business hours.
After waiting until about 11 p.m. that day, the relative of the cat owner said he decided to shoot and kill the dogs after not receiving a response from the Humane Society, according to the release and Huhta. They disposed of the dead dogs in waters near the Coal Creek boat launch, according to the police department release.
The Humane Society began investigating on Sept. 13, and police became involved soon after. They turned over their investigation back to the Humane Society on Wednesday.
Those reportedly involved in the dogs' killing, through an attorney, declined to comment on the investigation Wednesday.
Moore said he believes a crime was committed.
"(The shooter of the dogs) committed murder, and pretty much kidnapped them, because they were not their dogs," Moore said. "They weren't his property, they were family, so that's kidnapping and murder."
Moore said he has still not recovered the dogs' bodies, despite the aid of volunteers.
