Charles Ray Geyer faces four charges after he allegedly shot a dog in front of two minor children at a home off Morganton Highway last week.
Geyer was taken into custody by Fannin County Deputy Sheriff Sergeant Jack Queen soon after the incident.
Warrants charge Geyer, 65, of 50 Barker Lane, Morganton, with three felonies: Aggravated Cruelty to Animals and two counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree; and a misdemeanor charge of Reckless Conduct.
Queen and Sergeant John Bramlett were dispatched to Geyer’s residence shortly after 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 7, in response to a dog killing chickens and a dog being shot.
After speaking with Geyer, Bramlett met with the German Shepherd’s owner, who was described as “very upset and crying” in his report. A nine-year-old boy was also present and crying.
The dog’s owner told Bramlett she was cleaning her chicken coop and the nine-year-old was in the driveway playing with the family’s two dogs. His one-year-old brother was also with him.
The owner said a man, later identified as Geyer, came out of the woods and shot the dog with the children nearby.
Geyer told the deputies that the neighbor’s dog had come onto his property and killed his chickens.
Geyer said he was laying on the couch when his wife told him a dog was chasing their chickens, and the neighbor’s German Shepherd was outside. She said she saw the dog grab a chicken and run toward its home.
Geyer said he got his .410 shotgun and went down the hill behind his house. He stated as he approached the German Shepherd’s owner, the dog approached him from behind a bush. When the dog was about three feet from him, he shot it in the head then went back to his house.
Queen placed Geyer under arrest and transported him to the Fannin County Detention Center.