Today, at least some justice will be served.....

On December 30th a male German shepherd/blue heel mix dog was found dead with a rope around it’s neck and dumped on the Colorado National Monument. It was a crime that shocked the community. The dog, Buddy, had evidently been tied to a vehicle and forced to run then when he could no longer keep up, he was dragged for three miles, suffering, tortured and strangled then tossed like garbage. Tracks in the snowed show the cruel story.
“We’ve not seen this type of heinous crime in the monument before and I certainly hope we don’t see it again,” said Colorado National Monument superintendent Joan Anzelmo. “The animal apparently was attached to the vehicle at the base of the west hill, and as the vehicle accelerated, first it was walking then it was running. It couldn’t keep up and was being drug and strangled as it got to the three mile mark on the west hill,” she said.
Video surveillance showed a double-cab pickup truck entering the monument at 2:18 a.m. Wednesday, 12/30, with a dog in the bed of the truck and another camera capture the same truck leaving at 2:30am without the dog.
Between studying the surveillance tapes and tips, National Park Rangers were led to Steven Clay Romero, 37 of Grand Junction. Outside Romero’s residence they found paw prints in the front yard and a search of the garage turned up rope matching that which was found around Buddy’s neck.
“Romero’s sister stated that the dog was in their home and Romero said he was going to kill it,” the affidavit said. “She stated he left with the dog late last night and returned home a half hour later without it.”
A neighbor also said that they saw Romero leave the house with a dog that fit Buddy’s description and return home without it.
Romero, who has been arrested six times in the past seven years by police in Montrose and Grand Junction on a variety of charges, including weapons offenses, traffic violations and drug distribution, was arrested as he emerged from a courtroom in the Grand Junction Courthouse on 12/31 from a hearing on a drug and weapon-related case stemming from a Sept. 12 arrest at a local motel. Romero was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty towards animals which carries a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine of $100,000, and one year of mandatory parole.
Denied bail, Romero said, “I don’t get it,” at which point Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer tossed a copy of the charges on the table in front of him.

Romero whined about being an over-the-road trucker who had a family to support. To date, he has yet to show any remorse, concern or care about what has happened, and still continues to deny any involvement.

“So, in other words I’ll be sitting in jail and probably lose my job, too?” Romero asked.

“Yes,” the judge responded.

And as horrific as this crime is, what makes it even worse, if that’s possible, is that this dog did not belong to Romero, Buddy was stolen from an acquaintance's home!

This waste of human life callously tortured an innocent animal for no reason and just doesn’t get why his ass is sitting in jail. Here’s to hoping he learns that lesson the hard way!