Vernon police arrested a man who shot and killed a neighbor’s dog after mistaking it for a coyote, an arrest warrant released Wednesday says.
Martinelli told police he was hunting from a tree stand on his 12-acre property on Nov. 3 at about 4:30 p.m. With the scope on his .30-06 rifle, Martinelli said he saw a deer moving about 50 yards away, but chose not to shoot, the warrant said.
Then he saw what he thought was a coyote trailing the small buck, telling police “he would have bet his life it was a coyote,” according to the warrant.