DWI, cruelty to animals: McDowell man pleads guilty after hitting, killing dog
By Samiar Nefzi
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MCDOWELL COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A McDowell man has pleaded guilty to driving while impaired after running over and killing another man’s dog nearly 16 months ago.
“He took something away from us,” William Owensby said in August of 2021. “He needs to be held accountable for that.”
In June 2021, Wayne Lassiter veered off U.S. 70 in McDowell County, drove across Owensby’s driveway and hit a 3-year-old Shih-Tzu named Polly.
“Polly and Jack — I bring them out and let them go to the bathroom. It’s our normal routine,” Owensby said. “She died right there with me.”
Lassiter was charged with driving while impaired and careless and reckless driving, according to the highway patrol report. McDowell District Attorney Ted Bell added a charge of felony cruelty to animals.
Traditionally, cruelty to animal charges result in a misdemeanor, but Bell said Lassiter’s prior DWI helped the prosecution upgrade to a more severe charge.
“When looking at that, we basically argued that prior DWI showed malice for the felony cruelty to animals just as it would for second-degree murder if it had been a person that were killed,” Bell said.
On Oct. 11, 2022, Lassiter pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and felony cruelty to animals.
“The judge sentenced him to 1.6-2.27 years (20 to 33 months) on the cruelty to animals charge and 1 year (12 months) on the DWI,” Bell said.
Bell said he thinks the sentence should have been longer for Lassiter but is within state sentencing guidelines. He said he hopes this case stands as a reminder that crimes committed against animals and DWIs will be taken seriously in McDowell County.
Owensby declined to be interviewed on camera following Lassiter’s guilty plea.
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