Suspect identified but public info still needed in case of dog shot, sheriff’s office says
Courtesy of Preston Fleischer
Authorities say they’ve identified a suspect in the case of a dog that was found dead from a gunshot on a Mankato-area family’s deck.
The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to a home in the 400 block of Neubert Lane just before 6:30 p.m. on March 30 on a weapons and animal cruelty complaint and found a dead dog on the home’s deck. Neighbors reported hearing two gunshots at around that time and the dog’s owners told investigators that they found a threatening note on their property warning them to keep the dog from barking about two weeks prior.
RELATED: Dog shot, killed in Blue Earth County after owners received threatening note
The dog’s owner, Preston Fleischer, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS his 8-year-old rescue dog Lily “was just a great dog” and only barked when cats ran through the area. He added that his kids were in the living room at the time Lily was shot.
Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s office confirmed that it has a suspect but said it won’t be releasing that person’s identity at this time.
Additionally, the department said it still encourages anyone with information to call investigators at 507-304-4863 or leave a tip through CrimestoppersMN.org. Information leading to an arrest could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
The agency says the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is making arrangements to conduct a necropsy on Lily.