STAFF REPORT :::
A Griffin woman has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony, after shooting and killing her dog.
The Griffin Police Department responded to the Vineyard Villas Apartments in response to a report of a dog bite and shots fired.
Upon arrival, Officer Alyssa Hanson and other officers ultimately located 56-year-old Wanda Gast in the wood line behind the apartment complex.
“Ms. Gast was sitting with a deceased brown and white dog next to her and a holstered pistol at her feet,” Hanson reported.
When asked what happened, Gast allegedly told officers her dog – a pit bull-Labrador mix – had bitten her, and she brought him outside and shot him.
“I requested Ms. Gast to explain the chain of events for me. She advised me she had to do it so he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. I asked Ms. Gast to show me where he bit her, she lifted her pant leg and I observed two marks that had dried blood and a fist sized area of bruising,” Hanson said, adding that Gast stated her dog, named Ditch, bit her while inside her apartment before she brought him outside.
“Ms. Gast stated the dog was not aggressive while outside on a leash,” Hanson said.
Hanson said the wound shown by Gast did not appear to have just occurred, and when asked to describe the timeline of events, Gast allegedly said everything occurred within approximately 30 minutes.
“Gast explained she fired three shots at the dogs and was unsure how many rounds were in the magazine before she shot,” Hanson said.
Emergency Medical Services responded and identified bruising and “two very superficial punctures,” Hanson said.
Ditch was found lying on his side, with a leash attached to a pinch collar. Hanson said it appeared he had been shot in the head.
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