WELLSBURG — A Wellsburg man has been charged with the malicious killing of an animal, a felony offense for which he could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined $1,000 to $5,000.
A criminal complaint filed by the Brooke County Sheriff’s Department states a deputy questioned Ronald J. Sebeck, 71, of Wellsburg, after someone reported that on Oct. 6, Sebeck shot and killed a dog on his property, then threw it over a hill.
Sheriff’s deputies said the dog’s owner, who had reported it missing, said she found it over a hillside adjacent to Sebeck’s property the following day.
They said the dog’s body was taken to a Wheeling veterinarian, who removed a small metal pellet from inside its abdomen.
The case against Sebeck is pending in Brooke County Magistrate Court.