William Harper

A Henderson County man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog with a rifle.

Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said William Harper, 56, of Trinidad, was charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal on accusations of shooting the dog with a rifle.

That neighbor who owned the dog called the sheriff’s office and a deputy found the deceased animal lying 12 to 15 yards north of Harper’s property line, police said.

The dog owner, who lives in the 100 block of Timberland Ridge Road in Trinidad, said she let the dog outside and soon after she heard a gunshot, the sheriff’s office said.

Harper remained Monday afternoon in the Henderson County Jail under a $10,000 bond, according to jail records.