Teen suspect in Rock Hill puppy shooting released on bond
The older of two teens accused of torturing a puppy outside a Rock Hill apartment complex was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond Wednesday.
De’Monte Ty’Juan Douglas, 17, is charged with ill treatment of animals.
Magistrate Judge Dolores Williams granted Douglas a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. He was released from jail just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. His next court appearance is in April at the Moss Justice Center in York.
Douglas and a 14-year-old co-defendant are accused of shooting a 6-week-old lab mix nearly 20 times with a BB gun and throwing a knife at the puppy, according to warrants, which describe the teens’ actions as “torture.”
Both teens live at Wildwood Springs apartments, where a utility worker on Sunday saw a group of 15 to 20 juveniles playing with a black puppy. The worker checked on the puppy a few minutes later and saw that it was bleeding heavily.
Police took the puppy to Ebenezer Animal Hospital, where doctors found 18 BBs lodged in the dog’s skin and muscle. Hospital employees later named the puppy Brody.
Douglas spoke softly and at times hung his head while standing before Williams, who approved him for a court-appointed attorney. He told the court he has lived in Rock Hill for about four years and has been arrested before, but not as an adult.
Douglas said he is a sophomore at Rock Hill High School. His mother, who was in court Wednesday, spoke very little during the hearing. She told the judge her son goes to school every day but that his grades are “up and down.”
Douglas and his mother declined to speak with reporters as they walked out of the Rock Hill Law Center after his release.
Detectives petitioned the 14-year-old suspect to Family Court and released him to his parents, pending a court appearance. Per state law, the boy’s identity is protected because of his age.
Teddy Kulmala: 803-329-4082, @teddy_kulmala
This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Teen suspect in Rock Hill puppy shooting released on bond."