CLEARFIELD – A local animal rescue group is outraged that a man involved with the shooting of a dog that was left to die has signed a plea agreement for a probation sentence.
Luckily the dog was found last November by an individual who then contacted the local animal rescue group, Animals Matter of Clearfield County Inc. The dog was taken to two different animal hospitals for treatment and was saved.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, he was shot by a small-caliber firearm in the head, with the bullet ricocheting off his skull and into his jaw, fracturing it before exiting the side of his face.
The group began posting updates on their Facebook page last November about the dog while they reportedly raised $12,000 for his treatment. Regular posts kept people up to date on his condition.
He was placed in a foster to adopt home and made a miraculous recovery.
Since then, the group has been calling for “Justice for Duke.”
In July, all charges filed by state police against Nichole Marie Daisher, 32, and her father, Ricky Allen Daisher, 60, both of Mahaffey, including felony conspiracy/aggravated cruelty to animals, misdemeanor cruelty to animals, misdemeanor neglect of animals-vet care, and summaries were held to court after a preliminary hearing before District Judge Jerry Nevling.
Charges were also filed against a juvenile who has already served time on a felony charge and has been released on probation, according to Heather Hoover of Animals Matter.
In a Facebook Live post after hearing about the plea agreement which does not include the felony charge, Hoover expressed her outrage.
She is confused why the felony against Ricky Daisher was dropped when an assistant district attorney had fought to keep it at the preliminary hearing.
“Why? I don’t get it.”
State police suggested that she have Duke at the sentencing hearing, but District Attorney Ryan Sayers told them only service dogs are allowed in the courtroom.
“He is the victim,” she noted.
She pointed out that Duke suffered for about 21 hours before he was found. He was in shock and had his muzzle tied together with shoe strings.
“And Mr. Daisher gets probation?!”
She feels he is actually the one who shot the dog, asking what kind of man allows a child to take the blame.
She is encouraging people to attend a protest outside the courthouse beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 and then attend the hearing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. to show support for Duke.
Hoover herself plans to address the court, hoping President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman will reject the plea agreement, putting the case back on the trial list.
“We fought so hard to save this dog’s life,” Hoover commented. “I am so furious about this and they wonder why there is so much animal cruelty.”
Others are voicing their anger on their Facebook group, showing they are sharing her emotions after following Duke’s progress for months. Some are blaming Sayers for leniency in the case.
In their statements to authorities, the defendants have said that they wanted to put him down to his aggression.
“He hasn’t shown any aggression since we’ve had him,” Hoover stated.
In the criminal complaint, it details how as the owner Nichole Daisher surrendered the dog to the rescue organization.
The investigation uncovered information from a cell phone, that she traveled on Nov. 23 from her home at 6:07 p.m. to the location where Duke was found and then back home.
When she was interviewed by police on Dec. 19, she claimed Duke had jumped on top of another one of her dogs and later had lunged at her child.
After this, she contacted her father saying she did not know what to do. The trio reportedly took the dog to Steep Hill Road in Greenwood Township where he was shot.
In his interview with police, the juvenile said Nichole Daisher was the one who said that Duke had to go and tied Duke’s muzzle with the shoestring.
He admitted to voluntarily shooting the animal with a gun supplied by Ricky Daisher, according to the affidavit.
When he spoke with investigators, Ricky Daisher admitted to taking the dog to the woods and seeing the juvenile shoot him once. After the dog fell over and quivered, he stated that he believed the dog was “done.”
They fled after hearing a car coming near them.
The case against Nichole Daisher is still pending.