Robert Leatherman, center, of Bucoda, the owner of an allegedly abused dog, talks with a Thurston County public defender during an appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday morning in Olympia.
Robert Leatherman, center, of Bucoda, who was the owner of an allegedly abused dog, and Jeffery Gavin, who allegedly shot Leatherman's abused dog, make separate appearances in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday morning in Olympia.
Both defendants involved in a case surrounding the alleged abuse and subsequent death of a dog in Bucoda entered not guilty pleas in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday morning.
Robert Leatherman, 51, of Bucoda, the owner of the allegedly abused dog, named Wolfy, and Jeffrey Gavin, 44, of Bucoda, the accused shooter of the dog, both appeared in front of Judge Anne Hirsch for arraignment.
Both were released on their promises to reappear, with the added condition that they report to jail to update their current addresses and get their fingerprints taken.
Neither of the men are currently allowed to own or possess any animals because of the nature of the charges.
Leatherman has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty, a felony, and Gavin has been charged with second-degree animal cruelty, a gross misdemeanor.
The charges were brought by the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office after months of additional investigation into the death of dog. Documents obtained through a public records request show Erika Johnson, field officer and cruelty investigator with Thurston County Animal Services, and a Thurston County sheriff’s deputy began looking into the dog’s suspicious death in October after pictures of the animal began circulating on social media sites.
The photo generated thousands of signatures on a petition seeking charges and international attention.
The owner was later identified as Leatherman, who agreed the dog was in a poor state of health and said the dog recently suffered a seizure, causing paralysis. Leatherman said he asked a friend to put the dog down, although he at first lied about who shot the dog, according to court documents.
Later, Gavin was identified as the shooter.
An incident report filed by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated that a man, only identified as Harley, took a deputy to the site where the dog was shot, approximately 2 miles out of town on Tono Road.
Harley pointed to one of three holes and the deputy said he saw something wrapped in a sleeping bag. On closer inspection, he saw a tail protruding from the blanket.
In the report, Gavin admitted to shooting the animal in the back of the head three times with a .22 caliber firearm.
A necropsy showed the animal suffered “long-standing neglect” in life and also suffered in death after multiple shots to the head did not immediately kill it.
The necropsy revealed maggot-infested wounds and rocks in his stomach, an indication of starvation.
Leatherman and Gavin both asked for court-appointed attorneys. The next hearings were set for June 4, and trials are scheduled for July 22 in Thurston County Superior Court.
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Justyna Tomtas covers South Thurston County for The Chronicle. Email her at jtomtas@chronline.com. or call 807-8329.
