Justice came at long last for Rocket.
A 4-year-old Doberman pinscher-heeler mix, Rocket was shot with a BB gun in June 2020 and the incident was captured on security camera video.
Rocket’s cries prompted neighbors to take the black, white and brown male dog to a veterinarian, who found pellets lodged under Rocket’s skin, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office said in a written statement. After the incident, Rocket was nervous around new people, it said.
David Wiegand, 48, of Edgewood pleaded no contest on Tuesday to a charge of extreme cruelty to animals, a fourth-degree felony, according to a plea agreement. Wiegand was charged in February 2021 with shooting his neighbor’s dog with a Daisy Powerline Model 856 BB gun in Albuquerque.
At the time of the incident, Weigand was a board member of the Menaul School. He resigned last year after news of the incident was reported, an official at the school said.
Wiegand faces 18 months of supervised probation, according to the plea agreement. He also agreed to pay Rocket’s medical bills and for counseling for children in Rocket’s household. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
“We must all work together to stop animal cruelty in our society, as this is part of a broader public safety effort to reduce family violence in New Mexico,” Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a written statement.
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November 27, 2023
