A dog named Cletus died July 16 after being struck by a boat near Goat Island on Lake Martin, and now the Elmore County sheriff says the boat driver may be facing criminal charges – though it is not certain whether the charges will be designated as a misdemeanor or felony.
Articles appeared in multiple news sources today indicating that Cletus, the dog, was owned by Becky and Rusty Jones of Woodstock, in Bibb County. The death of Cletus has sparked a legal controversy about the legal liability of the driver of the boat responsible for the dog’s death and the reported circumstances surrounding the death.
https:/www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/cletus_dog_killed_by_boat_at_g.html
The incident has stirred a firestorm because the driver of a boat allegedly backed over the dog while trying to rescue a goat, without regard to the life or safety of the dog. The owners of the dog, Becky and Rusty Jones, apparently believe that the boat driver should be criminally charged over the incident.
A person identified as Denise Crowder has started a petition on Change.org
which now has more than 8,000 signatures demanding Justice for Cletus. You can click on this link to read the details of that petition and her stated details about what occurred when Cletus died.
Emotions over the death of Cletus are running high in the reported stories. All of the facts have not been presented in the news media about this case. The death of Cletus is a sad event, however, The Bibb Voice urges those who look at the stories reported below not to draw any conclusions about legal liability until all of the facts have been investigated and reported.
Links to several of the reported stories are listed below:
