Charles Ray Geyer, who was accused of shooting a dog in front of two minor children, has been told to leave Fannin County.
District Attorney Frank Wood said last week Geyer had agreed to plead guilty as part of an agreement that banishes him from Fannin County. He must also complete anger management counseling. Both are among conditions of probation.
Wood said the banishment is immediate, and Geyer has been given a short period of time to complete the anger management treatment. If Geyer does not meet the conditions, his probation will be revoked, and he will begin serving a prison sentence of 10 years with five to serve.
Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda Weaver accepted the plea agreement in Fannin County Superior Court Thursday, November 21.
Geyer was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, two counts of cruelty to children, criminal damage to property and reckless conduct when the crimes took place June 7, 2021. He was accused of shooting a family pet, a German Shepherd, in front of two minor children at a home off Morganton Highway.
The dog’s owner told deputies she was cleaning her chicken coop and the nine-year-old boy and his one-year-old brother were playing with the family’s two dogs in the driveway.
Geyer came out of the woods and shot the German Shepherd with the children nearby.
Geyer told deputies the dog had come onto his property and killed his chickens.
Geyer, then 65, of 50 Barker Lane, Morganton, was taken into custody following the shooting. He was released under a $21,000 bond at the time of his arrest.