Felony charge filed in death of Otto
By JEFF STITT and TAYLOR BROWN
jstitt@yourmvi.com
tbrown@yourmvi.com
After more than seven months of investigating, Washington Township police have filed charges in the case of Otto, a 3-year-old German shepherd who was shot and killed in February.
Michael A. Zadrozny, 53, of Fayette City, was charged Friday with one third-degree felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals – causing serious bodily injury or death.
The affidavit, which was filed at the Perry Township office of Magisterial District Judge Richard Kasunic II, states that shortly before 7 a.m. Feb. 26, Paul Zuro’s fiancée, Holly Miller, called 911 to report that Otto had been shot.
Zuro and Miller are Zadrozny’s neighbor and Otto’s owners.
Police found Otto’s body “on the Zuro property, feet from the start of the Zadrozny property,” police Chief Bruce Tooch wrote in the affidavit.
After obtaining a search warrant, police and an unidentified professional animal tracker followed a blood trail that led from Otto’s body to an area near the Zadrozny family’s in-ground pool, the affidavit states.
“Zadrozny failed to notify the dog owner, the game commission or the police of the incident,” the affidavit states.
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