CLEARFIELD – An Indiana man who pleaded guilty Monday to various felony charges including aggravated cruelty to animals received a lengthy state prison sentence.
Skylar Thomas Williams, 22, was arrested by Lawrence Township police after an investigation into the shooting of a dog on Hill Street.
Police discovered Williams had been staying in a local motel room where they found drugs, guns and a large sum of money.
Williams was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to two to four years in state prison on the cruelty charge, and two to four years each for felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of firearm prohibited, receiving stolen property and firearm with number missing or altered.
Some of the sentences will run concurrent to each other, giving him a total sentence of six to 12 years in state prison.
In April, his co-defendant, Morgan Diane Reffett, 22, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and was sentenced to 90 days to one year in jail and two years consecutive probation.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police received a report of a dog being shot in the Hill Street area on Dec. 30.
After obtaining security video from a home near the site of the incident, a witness identified Williams and Reffett. In the video, the two are seen walking up the street and about 45 seconds later, running back down the street.
Police learned Williams had been staying at a local motel where they made contact with him and Reffett. The room had the odor of burnt marijuana.
When asked if there was anything illegal in the room, Williams stated “well, obviously” and advised them there were two handguns in a dresser drawer, one of which was used in the shooting.
In an interview with investigators, Williams claimed two dogs were jumping and lunging at them. With “no other options, he fired one shot on the dog and ran away,” according to the report.
He also admitted to police that he was a drug dealer who needed the guns for protection. He added that he also needed to protect himself from the threats he received after shooting the dog.
At the time of his arrest, Williams had 15 bags of heroin and approximately $1,180 in cash.
A search warrant executed on the motel room uncovered the guns, a small amount of marijuana, a small bag of methamphetamine, cigars that contained marijuana, various drug paraphernalia, multiple cell phones and a counterfeit $20 bill.
The total amount found in the room and from Williams was $5,577.