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FBI agent indicted in 3 lb Chihuahua's shooting death

http://i35.tinypic.com/1zdy7iu.jpg
Too bad Paris Hilton wasn't holding it at the time!

FBI agent indicted in Chihuahua's shooting death
wacotrib.com
July 10, 2008
Tommy Witherspoon

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content...tindicted.html

http://bp3.blogger.com/_F8BKBeQdYnM/.../fbi+creep.jpg

A local FBI agent who reportedly shot and killed a 3-pound Chihuahua named Sassy in front of his home near Lorena in February was indicted Wednesday on felony charges that could end his career.

A McLennan County grand jury indicted 39-year-old Lovett Leslie Ledger Jr. for cruelty to animals, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in a state jail and a $10,000 fine.

Before the grand jury decided to indict Ledger, prosecutor Crawford Long granted his request to tell them his side of the story. Ledger was in the closed-door grand jury room for about 25 minutes, and then his wife, Jacqueline Ledger, spent about 10 minutes with the grand jury.

Long denied that he afforded Ledger special privileges because he is in law enforcement. Long said he would allow any criminal defendant a chance to speak to the grand jury, but added that most choose not to.

Long said Ledger’s attorney, Rob Swanton, asked that Ledger be allowed to speak to the grand jury. Ledger declined comment before his grand jury appearance.

“We are disappointed,” Swanton said after the indictment was returned. “Mr. Ledger and his wife appreciate the opportunity to speak to the grand jury. We are disappointed with the grand jury’s decision and, as you can imagine, it is a difficult thing for them to deal with at this point.”

Swanton, who was not allowed inside the grand jury chambers with Ledger, declined additional comment.

Ledger’s neighbor on Estes Road near Lorena, Jason Davis, also testified at the grand jury. Sassy belonged to Davis’ 8-year-old daughter and he has told neighbors that he was saddled with the emotional chore of telling the young girl that her tiny companion would not be coming home.

Cyndi Mitchell, who lives across the street from Ledger, also testified Wednesday. She has told authorities that she witnessed Ledger shoot the dog in front of her house with a pellet rifle on Feb. 29.

Erik Vasys, an FBI spokesman in San Antonio, said Ledger remains on active duty pending criminal and FBI internal investigations.

“The FBI continues to cooperate with the ongoing judicial process involving Agent Ledger and the internal FBI review of Agent Ledger’s actions also is still ongoing,” he said, declining additional comment.

Mitchell has said that her dogs were barking and she went to the door and saw Sassy walking on Estes Road in front of her house.

The dog lurched to one side upon being shot, then rolled into a yard where she died, she has said.

“I’ve never heard a noise like that from an animal,” Mitchell told the Tribune-Herald in March, describing it as “a screaming sound.”

She saw Ledger lower the pellet gun and walk inside his home with one of his children. A group of people gathered around the dog, and Mitchell said she saw a hole in Sassy’s neck above her pink rhinestone collar.

Ledger initially lied to investigators about the dog’s death but later told deputies he shot the dog, according to an affidavit filed to support Ledger’s arrest.