Vergas, MN – A Vergas man has been sentenced for shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog.
19-year-old Bodi Ray Engebretson pleaded guilty to mistreating an animal and has been sentenced to three days at the Otter Tail County Detention Facility and two years of probation. He has also been ordered to pay $1,800 in restitution.
According to court documents, the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department received a report on July 1st, 2024 of a dog being shot the evening prior. The owners said they let the dog out at 10 p.m. the previous night and 15 minutes later, they heard their 3-year-old labradoodle squealing and whining. When they went to check on her, the canine was lying dead on the deck. Neither owner heard any gunshots.
Deputies noted that the deck where the dog had died was barricaded in order to keep the dogs on the porch when let out at night, and believed that the suspect would have had to be in the backyard at a close distance to shoot the dog.
Later that day, deputies received tips regarding Engebretson and his involvement in the incident, including that his father was upset that Engebretson had killed the neighbor’s dog and that he should take accountability for it.
Court documents say that Engebretson admitted to officials that he had shot the neighbor’s dog with an air gun. However, he denied shooting it on the neighbor’s property, claiming that the dog was on his property when he grabbed his gun and shot it.
Engebretson was ordered by the court to report to the county jail by May 19th.