Shotts v. City of Madison

FAIR, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Jonathan Shotts was charged with animal cruelty after burning his girlfriend's dog, Chloe, while giving it a bath. He said it was an accident. There were no other witnesses, and the attending veterinarian testified that Chloe’s injuries were consistent with Shotts’s account. The county court nonetheless convicted Shotts after suggesting he could be guilty of animal cruelty if he had “carelessly” hurt Chloe. Instead, the 2011 animal cruelty statute, since repealed, required proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Shotts acted maliciously. Since the prosecution failed…