Warrant Accuses Stafford Man Of Shooting Dog In The Face

STAFFORD, CT — A man is accused of shooting a dog in the face in Stafford and is facing criminal charges as a result, a warrant states.

At 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Stafford officers and state police from the Troop C barracks arrested Christopher Joseph, 48, of Stafford, on the strength of an active arrest warrant. State police said the warrant is the result of an investigation that began in April, following the report of a domestic dog having been shot in the face on Collette Road West in Stafford.

The investigation a search of Joseph's residence, which uncovered several unsecured guns accessible to several children, state police said.

Joseph has been charged with the illegal discharge of a firearm and five counts of risk of injury to a child. Joseph was later released from custody on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Nov. 19.

According to a warrant, state police began investigating Joseph on March 28 after the local animal control division received a complaint about a dog being shot. When they arrived at the property, authorities discovered a dog hiding under a camper with clear gunshot wounds to the face.

Nothing suspicious showed up on surveillance cameras that day, but two days earlier, Joseph, a neighbor, was shown on footage entering the property and aiming a "long-arm" gun, according to a warrant.

Joseph had previously asked permission to shoot woodchucks on both properties, according to a warrant.

A subsequent search of what state police described as his "unkempt" residents uncovered 12 long arm guns, a shotgun and ammunition. The guns were was not locked and easily accessible to young children in the home, state police said. The long arm guns matched the gun visible in the surveillance footage, according to a warrant.