Bond set at $400,000 in dog shooting; 21 weapons confiscated, police say
The Grayslake-area man accused of shooting a dog outside his home was ordered held on $400,000 bond Saturday.
Elvin Dooley, 57, also must surrender the 21 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition that police confiscated when they arrested him for the crime.
The dog, a black chow mix, was abandoned in the parking lot of the Save-A-Pet No-Kill Adoption Center sometime on Tuesday, Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Marc Bangser said.
But before center employees could coax the dog inside, Bangser said, it ran off, with manager Dana Deutsch in pursuit.
Deutsch told police she was behind the dog in her car as it ran through a field near Townline and Fairfield roads when she heard a gunshot.
Police said Deutsch looked over at Dooley's house in the 24000 block of Townline Road and saw a man holding a rifle with a scope mounted on it and aiming at the dog from a window.
Deutsch told police she heard two more shots as she ran to the house and confronted the man she later identified as Dooley.
Dooley retreated into the house, police said, and Deutsch took the dog to the Animal Emergency and Treatment Center in Grayslake with the help of some Round Lake public works employees who happened onto the scene.
Bangser said the dog died of a bullet wound that passed through its neck.
Sheriff's police went to Dooley's house and arrested him Friday on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Bangser said there were several shell casings found inside the house, and police seized 6,000 rounds of rifle ammunition and a large quantity of handgun ammunition from the basement and detached garage.
Dooley also led police to a friend's house where they found 19 rifles, one of which was loaded, and two handguns that Dooley said were his, Bangser said.
Dooley served a prison term for a 1974 burglary conviction in Alabama, Bangser said, and was also imprisoned in West Virginia for burglary in 1996.
Additional charges of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon and possession of a weapon without a state Firearms Owner's Identification card were filed against Dooley.
Bangser said Dooley initially denied he had been shooting when questioned by police, then said he had been shooting at some cans and was unaware he had hit a dog.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound Dooley limped into bond court Saturday from the jail holding area and told Associate Judge Daniel Shanes he suffers from severe diabetic neuropathy.
Dooley told Shanes he works part time at a hardware store but expects to be unemployed soon.
"From what I have heard about the publicity, I doubt they will want me back," Dooley said.
Shanes appointed the Lake County public defender's office to represent him and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 18.
Shanes also set a hearing for a review of Dooley's bond, which requires him to post $40,000 in cash to be released, for Feb. 4.
Bangser said additional charges could be filed after a review of the case by a grand jury.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=355302">Bond set at $400,000 in dog shooting; 21 weapons confiscated, police say <span class="date">[01/30/2010]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=355053">Grayslake man charged with shooting runaway dog <span class="date">[01/29/2010]</span></a></li>
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