GRANITE CITY – A Granite City man will face charges in Madison County Court of aggravated cruelty to animals and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon as well as a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault.
William Brown, 62, of 1000 block of Wanda Drive in Granite City, will face the above charges for an incident at 7:46 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, at the home in the 1000 block of St. Thomas Road, Granite City.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department received a call shortly after the incident in reference to a family’s dog having been shot by a neighbor. Deputies met with the dog’s owner, who told them his neighbor, William A. Brown just shot his 6-year-old, American Bulldog, named Donte.
Donte’s owner told deputies that his 3-year-old child had been in their fenced in back yard playing with Donte, just minutes prior to him hearing a gunshot, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department said. He told deputies his child entered the home and approximately two minutes later he heard the gunshot and saw Donte at his back door, bleeding from his face. The owner exited his home to see Brown holding a pistol in his (Brown’s) back yard. Brown reportedly pointed the gun at the dog’s owner, who told Brown he was calling the police. Brown fled the area as police were responding.
Deputies located Brown driving a vehicle near the scene, while they were conducting the investigation. Brown was stopped by deputies, and found to have a loaded handgun on his person. Deputies also located a loaded rifle in Brown’s vehicle. Brown was taken into custody and transported to the Madison County Jail, where he was held pending a formal review of facts by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The Honorable Judge Jenifer Hightower signed and issued the criminal complaint and information against Brown, setting his bond at $50,000.00. Brown remains in the custody of the Madison County Jail in lieu of bond.
Donte was transported to an area emergency animal clinic, where he was euthanize due to the severity of his injuries.
