$10,000 reward offered as more dogs are poisoned in west Las Vegas
By JOE VIGIL
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LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — Sean Cornwall and other neighbors near Fort Apache Road and Sahara Avenue thought some dog poisonings were over for good nearly three years ago.
Cornwall now says they believe the person who terrorized their neighborhood back then has struck again.
“I think he’s a sociopath. I think he’s a coward. And he just gets off on hurting dogs,” said Cornwall.
Cornwall is now warning others to be on the lookout after he says an unknown person threw laced meat into the yards of two of his neighbors in October. He said two dogs got sick but survived.
Cornwall said he lost his dog Leia, a shih tzu, in 2019 when someone tossed strychnine-laced meat into his yard.
“They seize up basically until their lungs start to fill up with blood and their brain swells up. And eventually Leia died from a brain hemorrhage at the 11-hour mark,” said Cornwall.
He said Gabby, a shih tzu he was going to give to his mother in 2015, died the same way.
“She just wanted to give people love. She was the most loving dog. And yeah, it’s not fair. This person, monster, snuffed her life out before she was 3 years old,” he said.
Cornwall said he has $3,000 in reward money from a previous attempt to catch the person and added $2,000 to that.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals confirmed to FOX5 Thursday its previous reward of $5,000 for a conviction of animal cruelty charges of the person responsible still stands.
“I encourage anybody to be out here. Get in your lawn chairs, be on the streets looking for people. Have your phones ready trying catch this guy. Anybody that wants to make $10,000,” said Cornwall.
Cornwall said he set up another GoFundMe account for other ways to help catch the suspect.
He was also critical of Las Vegas police, saying they need to be doing more to solve the crime that have plagued the neighborhood for around eight years. He specifically wants police to put up security cameras in the neighborhood.
Police say the case is under investigation by the Summerlin area command and is a priority, but cameras have not been put up.
“Please note that we must look at the totality of the circumstances and the effectiveness of putting up surveillance equipment in a specific area. We must also consider the other crimes that are occurring elsewhere in the community and only have a certain amount of taxpayer funded equipment at our disposal. As always, citizens, HOAs and business all around the valley have the option to install their own surveillance equipment on their properties or common areas to monitor and deter criminal activity,” read the police statement.
Cornwall said they believe the person poisoning dogs is a man in his 60s who may be driving a gray or tan sedan.
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