On Wednesday, March 29h 18 year old Christopher K. Hodges of Mentone was served with a Fulton County Circuit Court warrant charging him with a single count of Torturing or Mutilating a Vertebrate Animal, a level 6 Felony. Mr. Hodges is currently incarcerated in the Fulton County Jail.
An arrest warrant has been issued for 20 year old Mark D. Shepherd of Mentone charging with the same single count at Hodges. Mr. Shepherd is not in custody and is currently wanted.
Charging information on both subjects is the result of a joint investigation between the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department and the Law Enforcement Division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
On February 16th of this year, the Fulton County 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a person on State Road 25 in the area of County Road 400 North in Rochester. They advised of an injured deer in the roadway. When deputies arrived at the scene the observed a deer that appeared to have been struck by a vehicle and then set on fire. The deer was still alive, and smoldering.
During the investigation it was believed that Hodges and Shepherd stuck the deer in a red 1994 Camaro. They turned around and went back to the deer and found it to still be alive. Police believe they poured gasoline on the deer and set in on fire and left the area.
Fulton County Sheriff Christopher Sailors took time to thank the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office, Fulton County Crime Stoppers, Animal Cruelty Investigation Department of PETA, and the local media for their assistance with this crime.
All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
