Palatine man pleads guilty in shooting of neighbor’s dog
A Palatine man who shot and killed his neighbor’s pet dog last February pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several misdemeanors in exchange for prosecutors dropping felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty pending against him.
Piotr Holy, 40, of the 1100 block of South Brockway Street, admitted to police that shot Willy, a German shepherd mix who had wandered into his backyard, after he mistook the dog for a coyote.
A Cook County judge sentenced Holy to two years conditional discharge in exchange for his guilty pleas to reckless conduct, obstructing a peace officer and unlawfully discharging a firearm, court records show.
The judge also ordered Holy to pay $2,980 in restitution, $379 in fines and perform 120 hours of community as part of the negotiated plea.
Holy initially denied any involvement in the shooting, but then admitted that he used a deer carcass to lure coyotes into his yard in order to shoot them.
Willy’s owner was trying to attach his leash when he got away from her and wandered into Holy’s backyard, police said. The owner called him back when she heard a single gunshot. She found Willy, who had been shot by a small-caliber bullet, bleeding and lying in the backyard of another neighbor. She rushed him to the animal hospital but he died during surgery.