VENTURA : Man Acquitted in Shooting of Neighbor’s Dog

A Ventura man was acquitted Tuesday of a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals after a jury said he killed his neighbor’s dog in self-defense.

James Wright, 45, admitted shooting Stripe, a 2-year-old springer spaniel owned by Cecil and Vicki Hines. But after three hours of deliberation Tuesday, a Municipal Court jury ruled that Wright was merely protecting himself.

Jury foreman Douglas West of Ventura said the prosecution didn’t prove its case.

“There just wasn’t enough evidence,” he said outside the courtroom. “There was reasonable doubt that it may have been self-defense.”

The back yard of Wright’s home on North Saticoy Avenue faces the rear yard of the Hines’ home on Placer Avenue.

Wright shot the dog early on the morning of Jan. 5, after already having scared Stripe off his property only hours before, he testified. He also told the jury he never meant to kill the dog, but only sought to keep him out of his yard.

Wright, who could have received a year in jail and $1,000 fine if found guilty, declined to comment after the verdict was announced. But his attorney said the case should not even have been prosecuted.

“The district attorney probably wouldn’t have brought this case (to trial) if he hadn’t been hounded by the dog’s owner,” said Philip A. Gunnels of Ventura.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen T. Tucker said nobody brought any pressure on his office to prosecute the case.

“We filed it a week after the occurrence,” Tucker said. “It was written up by the Police Department, reviewed by our office and charged on Jan. 13.”

Tucker said he was disappointed with the outcome of the case, the first animal cruelty prosecution in Ventura County in three years. “I thought it was a strong case,” he said.