Nov. 30—A man accused of shooting and killing a domestic dog on a North Yarmouth trail Friday morning and then fleeing the scene has turned himself in and is facing charges, the Maine Warden Service said.
Troy Hall, 51, of Windham, turned himself in to Windham police Saturday morning. He was charged with one count of shooting a domestic animal, and more charges could follow, said Mark Latti, communications director for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Three people were walking their dogs on a marked trail at the Knight’s Pond Preserve in North Yarmouth around 11 a.m. Friday when someone shot one of the dogs, which had been walking a few feet in front of the group, Latti said in a statement Friday evening. .
Witnesses at the time described the shooter as having dark hair and scruffy facial hair and wearing an orange vest and hat with camouflage pants.
The dog’s owners briefly interacted with the shooter before he fled the scene. A man matching the shooter’s description was seen leaving the area in a dark, large pickup truck, Latti said.
Maine Operation Game Thief offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the shooter’s arrest. Officials asked neighbors to share security footage in the area of Henry Road and Edna Lane. Guards were following multiple directions from the public when Hall turned himself in, Latti said.
People walking their dogs at Knight’s Pond Preserve Saturday morning said the incident has them concerned about their presence in the woods during hunting season.
Knight’s Pond Preserve is a 212-acre parcel in North Yarmouth and Cumberland that allows hunting and other recreational uses. Saturday was the last day of rifle deer hunting season in Maine.
Signs at the preserve advise hikers and hunters to wear bright orange in October and November.
Cindy Pepper, of Blue Hill, walked her small dog Greta in the preserve on Saturday.
“I always wear orange (Greta) because I have to, they look like animals in the woods. She looks like a squirrel,” Pepper said.
Maryann Nowak of Gray visits the Cumberland side of the trail, but only walks a short distance to the water.
“I’ve never seen hunters (on the reservation),” Nowak said.
Nowak said she didn’t think to dress her daughter’s dog, Moose, in orange before heading out with her.
“It didn’t even occur to me,” she said.
After hearing about the incident, Nowak said she is concerned about moose in the forest and will take precautions in the future.
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso called the shooting “horrific and inexcusable” in a news release Friday.
“One individual’s incomprehensible and abhorrent act damages the reputation of all 230,000 hunters in Maine,” she said.
Guards are still investigating the shooting, Latti said.
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