Prosecutors decline charges in pepper-spraying of dog

Prosecutors have declined to pursue charges against two animal control officers and the CEO of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter in the pepper-spraying of a dog last month.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports Laramie County District Attorney Jeremiah Sandburg said Tuesday his office would not prosecute after Cheyenne police recommended misdemeanor animal abuse charges last week.

Police say CEO Bob Fecht instructed an officer to use pepper spray on the 8-month-old pit bull mix while the other officer held the 70-pound dog. The dog had bitten a shelter employee the day before but did not pose an immediate threat.

Sandburg says the actions do not meet the standards of the crime.

Fecht has been suspended and previously expressed regret in a public statement.