A 46-year-old Auburn woman on Aug. 20 pleaded not guilty to first-degree animal cruelty in connection with what King County prosecutors claim was the shooting death of her neighbor’s 7-month-old mastiff puppy July 4.
Denise J. Leahy’s next court date is at 1 p.m., Sept. 3 in courtroom GA of the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. First-degree animal cruelty is a Class C felony, carrying a sentencing range from one year to a maximum of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Leahy posted $50,000 bail, $5,000 of it in cash and the rest collateral.
“The Sept. 3 court date is for case scheduling, and at that point in time it’s in control of her defense attorney, who could ask for a trial date or for more time to review the case,” said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecutor “Attorney’s almost always ask for more time.”
Her attorney is Thomas Campbell of law offices of Steven Weier 3204 Auburn Way N.
According to court records, the dog’s owner Taz and a second dog in her fenced-in yard on the east side of her property in the 5500 block of 55th Street Southeast that morning. When she returned late that afternoon, Taz lay dead in a pool of his own blood. The woman’s husband then drove Taz to the Sumner Veterinary Hospital where a necropsy revealed it had been shot in the left side with a low-caliber gun.
Court records say the owner immediately suspected Denise Leahy and her husband, who she claimed had previously threatened to shoot the dog. The husband denied any involvement in the shooting.
A neighbor told police he’d heard loud bang earlier that day, but assumed it was fireworks since he had been hearing fireworks all day from the Leahy’s property. He aid at that time he saw the agitated puppy “flipping” around the fenced-in yard, and Mrs. Leahy in the middle of the street watching the dog, which he assumed had been frightened by fireworks.
Meanwhile, a second neighbor found a .22 caliber gold shell casing in the roadway near where the dog had been shot. When police interviewed Denise Leahy, she denied owning a .22 caliber rifle. Officers later found .22 caliber ammunition in her home, but did not recover a firearm.
Leahy denied to police that she had shot the dog but conceded she might have told friends and neighbors she had done so.According to court records, Leahy told a friend that she’d shot the dog because it was “barking and being annoying” and because her husband “does not like noise.” According to court records, she said she shot once at the dog and “it acted like it had been hit and then just laid there.”
Leahy was arrested July 31 at her home and briefly jailed.
Court records show Leahy has been in trouble with the law before. Her record lists a 1994 DUI, a 1991 DUI amended to negligent driving and 2,005 DUI that was amended to a reckless driving.
