A Gwinnett County man shot and killed a husky trapped on his property, officials said, leading to his arrest on animal cruelty and gun charges after officers discovered he was a felon.
Richard Beatty Hart, 78, of Duluth, was taken into custody Wednesday on multiple charges after he was reported to authorities by a local animal trapper, Gwinnett police said. A police spokesman said Hart contacted the trapper to say that he’d shot a dog that had been caught.
Animal control responded to the Citrus Drive property and found that the dead animal was a pet dog, police said. Hart told officers he shot the dog because it had been chasing his cats, according to police.
Upon Hart’s arrest on the aggravated cruelty to animals charge, officers found that he was formerly convicted of a felony and could not legally own or possess a gun. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless conduct.
Hart was booked into the Gwinnett jail Wednesday and released the next day on just over $18,000 bond, jail records show.
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