Colorado man appears in court to face animal cruelty charges
January 28th, 2010 - 8:17 am ICT by BNO NewsDENVER, COLORADO (BNO NEWS) – A Colorado man on Wednesday appeared in court to face charges of aggravated animal cruelty, after allegedly dragging a dog behind a vehicle until it died, prosecutors said.
Steven Romero appeared in a U.S. District Court where he was advised of the charges pending against him. According to the indictment, in December 2009, Romero knowingly tortured, needlessly mutilated, and needlessly killed an animal, known as “Buddy the Dog,” by dragging the dog behind a vehicle at the Colorado National Monument.
Romero allegedly tied a rope around the bumper of a vehicle on one end and a rope around the dog’s neck on the other end, and proceeded to drive and drag the dog around until the animal died. Furthermore, Romero allegedly had his sister conceal the crime by making false statements to law enforcement.
If convicted, he faces not more than 3 years in federal prison, and up to a $100,000 fine, or both.
Additionally, his sister, Melissa Marie Lockhart, is charged with misprision of a felony and state charges of dog theft.
The case was investigated by The National Park Service, which is a division of the Department of Interior, the Delta Police Department, the Fruita Police Department, the Grand Junction Police Department, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
- Two Colorado men take out dead friend's body out for drinks - Sep 17, 2011
- Kentucky Finds Three Skinned Dogs On The Road - Feb 06, 2011
- Police: Colorado firing range twins had a suicide pact - Nov 19, 2010
- Lohan accused of shoving woman - Apr 09, 2012
- Blast at US hotel forces evacuation - Oct 11, 2010
- Vampire made me crash, Colorado woman tells cops - Jul 01, 2010
- Pet dogs in Britain to be microchipped - Apr 24, 2011
- U.S. police re-open investigation into 1981 death of actress Natalie Wood - Nov 18, 2011
- Virginia police arrest suspect in Appomattox mass murder - Jan 21, 2010
- Woman Killed Pit Bull Dog for Chewing on Bible - Jan 26, 2011
- Dog wins America's Wackiest X-ray contest - Oct 28, 2011
- Stillborn found near rail tracks - Nov 01, 2011
- Brutal race killing, body dragged for 16 km - Jun 04, 2010
- Fight over dog biscuit leads to arrest - Feb 07, 2011
- FBI files reveal 'mass cow sacrifices by aliens' sent White House into panic - Apr 14, 2011
Tags: animal cruelty charges, bno, colorado bureau of investigation, colorado man, colorado national monument, county sheriff, delta police department, department of interior, false statements, federal prison, fruita, grand junction, indictment, lockhart, melissa marie, mesa county, misprision of a felony, national park service, sister melissa, state charges