mindy

Wallace D. Taylor, Jr. took a 12-gauge shotgun and pumped three bullets into Mindy, a 3-year-old German Shepherd.

Mindy was the companion animal of Wallace Jr's father, Wallace Sr. Wallace Sr. was inside watching television when he heard the shots. He looked outside to find his 45-year-old son standing over the lifeless Mindy

Police charged Wallace Jr. with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, a second-degree crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also was charged with animal cruelty, an offense punishable by fines of up to $1,000 and six months in jail. That charge is considered less serious and usually is handled by a municipal judge.

Wallace Sr. 74, adopted Mindy from a kennel just months before. He was very upset about the death of Mindy and filed for a restraining order against his son. He fears that his son will shoot him too. Obviously, Wallace Sr. understands the connection. He refused to bail his son out of jail.

Please send letters in regards to this case. Express your concern for Taylor Sr, if Taylor Jr is freed, and demand that Taylor Jr be punished the maximum allowable by law.

County Prosecutor:
Boris Moczula
Administration Building
401 Grand Street
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: 973-881-4800
Fax: 973-881-2755

County Jail:
11 Marshall Street
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: 973-881-4620

For the full story, please visit:

http://www.bergen.com/psouth/dogkillaa200106141.htm

A West Paterson man who police say shot and killed his father's dog, a German shepherd named Mindy, was indicted Tuesday on a weapons offense.

Wallace D. Taylor Jr., 45, has been held at the Passaic County Jail on $25,000 bail since his arrest shortly after the June 12 incident. Taylor's father, also named Wallace, said he has not spoken to his son since the killing.

"He's been acting strange for a while now, 10 years or so," said the elder Taylor, who lives on Garret Mountain. "He drinks too much."

Police said the son pumped three bullets from a 12-gauge shotgun into the 3-year-old dog, who had lived with the elder Taylor for about six months. The father found his son holding the gun while standing over the slain dog, police said.

A grand jury in Passaic County indicted Taylor on a sole count of weapons possession for an unlawful purpose. The charge means that a defendant used a weapon against another person or against another person's property.

"Under our law, animals are not considered persons, so they are considered the property of another," said Joanne Kaminski, Passaic County senior assistant prosecutor. She said the law would be the same had Taylor shot out the windows of his father's car.

Kaminski said it appears that there was nothing specific that sparked the shooting. The crime is punishable by a maximum 10-year prison term. Taylor is also charged with disorderly persons offenses of unlawful discharge of a weapon and animal cruelty. Both carry fines.

The elder Taylor, 74, said previously that Mindy never liked his son, growling at him, her hair standing on end. He said he once saw his son menacing the dog by pointing his finger like a gun at the pooch. He hasn't forgiven his son.

"If he straightens out, maybe I will," he said.

Taylor also said he doesn't know whether prison is the right place for his son. However, "I don't want him coming back to live with me, that's all."-