Redondo Beach Man Guilty of Shooting Neighbor’s Dog

A Redondo Beach man faces up to one year in jail for shooting a neighbor’s dog in the head to stop it from barking.

After deliberating for 50 minutes Monday, a South Bay Municipal Court jury found Douglas A. Solomon, 47, guilty of cruelty to an animal, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum one-year jail sentence.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Christy, a Doberman-German shepherd mix, was shot in the left eye on Feb. 23 in its owner’s back yard. She survived the shooting but is now blind in her left eye.

Prosecutor John Slawson presented evidence suggesting that a .25-caliber handgun used in the shooting and a footprint found near the scene belonged to Solomon, an airline mechanic and Vietnam veteran.

Detectives found a .25-caliber shell-casing in Yorke’s back yard. Using state gun registration records, they established that Solomon owned a .25-caliber handgun, but the weapon wasn’t among several firearms they found in a search of his house.

Solomon maintained the handgun had been stolen from him about a year earlier while he was on a diving trip. But Slawson argued that if Solomon’s gun had been stolen, he would have reported it to police. No such report was made.

Still, Slawson said he was expecting a hung jury, since the evidence was largely circumstantial.

“We were all surprised that the jury came back as quickly as it did,” Slawson said. “I was surprised that they would reach a verdict unanimously either way.”

Scott MacCabe, Solomon’s attorney, said: “They did not believe him when he said his gun had been stolen. They believed he used it.”

Slawson said jurors told him that the footprint was the most important evidence in their decision. An expert testified that markings contained in the footprint matched those of an athletic shoe found in the search of Solomon’s house.

MacCabe acknowledged that the jury found the footprint evidence “very compelling.”

Gregory Yorke, the dog’s owner, was pleased with the verdict.

“I think that the right thing was done,” Yorke said when he learned of the verdict. “I realize it was a difficult case for the prosecution to put together.”

Although Christie survived the shooting, Yorke said she has been scarred psychologically.

“She is still scared of strange men, which she never was before,” York said. “This has left her kind of wary around guys.”

Solomon, who lives on the street behind Yorke’s, said he accepts the verdict and wants to get on with his life. He said he is still upset, however, that police confiscated his four guns when they searched his house.

“I went to Vietnam voluntarily, and guns saved my life over there, and I’d like to have guns now,” Solomon said. “I guess the police want us to rely on them for protection,” he said, adding: “They can’t do it.”