Roger Dale Beason showed up on time in Hamilton County Sessions Court Thursday morning, but he had nothing to say about the day he reportedly shot a dog in the face with an arrow.
Instead, Beason – a JIT Steel worker who reportedly told investigating officers he shot the dog because he was having a “bad day at work” – waived his right to explain his side of the story at a preliminary hearing.
The case will now go directly to the grand jury, which will decide whether the 34-year-old Whitwell man should be tried for aggravated animal abuse and/or other charges.
Beason will remain free on $1,500 bond, Judge Bob Moon said in open court.
The case grows out of an incident earlier this month when Beason was on the job at JIT Steel on Manufacturers Road, when a straw German Shepherd mix showed up at the worksite. The dog was not aggressive, he reportedly told McKamey investigators, and was standing still at the time he shot it in the face with an arrow.
The arrow struck the dog square in the front of its face, went through its soft palate and into its neck, almost to its spine, according to statements by McKamey director Karen Walsh.
The animal was taken to River Animal Hospital on Amnicola Highway, where veterinarians x-rayed the injuries, determined they were lethal and euthanized the dog.
The incident has created widespread outrage among animal lovers, and emails and petitions urging that Beason be severely punished have been circulating on the Internet.
Two women appeared in court earlier this week and asked Judge Moon to accept a petition with 900 names on it. The judge said he could not accept it, but they might consider filing in with the court clerk's office.
In court, where a small group of animal rights activists watched intently, Judge Moon said Beason has the right to waive his preliminary hearing, which would be held in open court, and leave his fate in the hands of the grand jury, which deliberates behind closed doors.
“This man has the right to the presumption of innocence,” the judge reminded listeners in the courtroom.