Man charged with shooting dog, threatening arresting officer

YOUNGSTOWN — A city man is in the Mahoning County jail accused of shooting his family dog with pellet gun and threatening an officer who arrested him after the shooting.

Police charged Jerry Baker, 49, of Nelson Avenue, with animal cruelty and menacing. He was arraigned today in Youngstown Municipal Court and is jailed on $15,000 bond for each charge. He also has been ordered not to have any contact with the arresting officer.

According to police, Baker, who had been drinking, grabbed a pellet gun, went into his basement at 1:40 a.m. today and shot the 8-month-old Labrador retriever puppy six times. Family members counted the pellet wounds on the dog.

Baker, police said, also tried to spit on the arresting officer then threatened him with bodily harm and said he would kill him when he saw him on the street.