Man To Spend 1 Month In Jail After Shooting Escaped Horse

WESTOVER, Md. (AP) -- A Somerset County man will spend a month in jail for shooting a miniature horse that escaped his property.

The Daily Times of Salisbury reports that 55-year-old John N. Price of Westover was found guilty of animal cruelty, aggravated animal cruelty and two counts of reckless endangerment in a trial Monday in Somerset County District Court.

Price says he shot the horse because it was getting dark and he didn't want it to cause a car crash on a nearby road.

Price's neighbor Bill Kennedy Jr. testified that Price walked away after shooting the animal, which Kennedy says squealed for several minutes. Price said the horse died immediately.

Price had been sentenced to a year on each count, to be served concurrently, but 11 months of the sentence were suspended.