NORTH YARMOUTH, Maine — A dog was shot and killed Friday on a hiking trail at a preserve in North Yarmouth, and the suspect who shot the pet is being sought by state officials.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said the incident happened at about 11 a.m. at the Knights Pond Preserve.
Three people were hiking on a marked trail with their dogs when one of the dogs, which was about 20 feet ahead of the group, was shot by a man wearing blaze orange and camouflage gear, according to the news release.
The alleged shooter fled the scene after a brief encounter with the owners and is now being sought by the Maine Warden Service. The Maine Operation Game Thief is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest.
The suspect is described as a man in his 30s with dark hair and "scruffy facial hair," according to the release. He was wearing a blaze orange vest, blaze orange hat, and camo pants, and he was seen leaving the area in a dark-colored full-size pickup truck.
“This atrocious, negligent shooting is both heinous and inexcusable and is aggravated by the cowardly act of the shooter fleeing the scene,” Maine DIF&W Commissioner Judy Camuso said in the release. “The incomprehensible and appalling act of one individual tarnishes the reputation of all of Maine’s 230,000 hunters. We all are outraged by this atrocity."
The Maine Warden Service is investigating the incident and ask that anyone with information about the incident to call them at 207-624-7076, or Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US.
Officials also ask that anyone who lives in the area of Henry Road and Edna Lane who has home security cameras to review footage that could help lead them to the suspect.