A Bluffs man has been found guilty of charges he shot and killed a neighboring dog last October.
A bench trial was held for 38-year-old Phillip Lovekamp last Thursday in Scott County Court. He was convicted of reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated cruelty to animals.
According to the Bluffs Police Department, a male dog named Rampage got loose and approached a female dog belonging to Lovekamp. His dog was reportedly tied up at the time, and when Rampage approached, he walked outside to untangle his dog’s chain.
Police reports claim that Rampage showed no signs of aggression, but because the dogs were of opposite sex, Lovekamp was afraid of being attacked if he approached them. Lovekamp reportedly went back into his residence to retrieve a gun, walked back outside and fatally shot Rampage.
A bench trial does not utilize a jury, and is held in front of a judge alone. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 11th.