Man charged with multiple felonies for killing hunting dogs

KING AND QUEEN —According to an article in the Daily Press newspaper and a story on ABC 8 in Richmond, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources charged a landowner with the deaths of three hunting dogs in King and Queen County in late December.

Eric Gregory Ripper was arrested and charged Jan. 2 with three felony counts of cruelty to animals-killing of a companion animal, along with two misdemeanor counts of removing electronic collars from a dog, according to a news release.

Virginia Conservation police officers were notified Dec. 29 that a hunting dog had been shot on property located off Indian Neck Road, said DWR spokesman Bob Smet. When police arrived, they were told by King and Queen sheriff’s deputies that two hunting dogs had been found dead. The officers then found a third dog.

All three dogs had been shot, Smet said.

Robbie Shackleford, a board member with the Newtown Sportsman Association in King and Queen County, told ABC 8News that he witnessed the removal of the dogs and reported the shooting. He described the incident as “gut wrenching” and a “hate crime toward dog hunting’” in an interview with the television station.