Animal control officer arrested after dog shot

JOHNSTOWN — The town of Perth’s animal control officer is accused of shooting and wounding an aggressive dog too close to a church and school.

Fulton County sheriff ’s officials say Joseph Passino received a call on Jan. 4 about two dogs running in the area of County Highway 107 and Route 30. He allegedly followed the dogs onto the property of the Perth Bible Church and Christian Academy.

When the animals became aggressive, he drew his personal handgun and shot one in the snout, deputies said. It caused several teeth to fall out and broke the dog’s jaw, according to deputies. The dog then fled, eventually returning home.

Deputies were tipped off to the incident after a social media post. Investigators also said they spoke to several witnesses including a woman who said she tried to keep the dogs out of the road, even feeding them treats from her own hand.

Passino was arrested on misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and illegal discharge of a firearm. His charges specifically relate to the shot being fired within range of the church and school, which was in session, and an occupied home, deputies said.

To avoid a potential conflict of interest, the Fulton County District Attorney’s office requested a special prosecutor from Hamilton County be assigned. The special prosecutor met with investigators and independently reviewed the case before any decision was made to prosecute, the sheriff ’s statement said.

State Police’s missing AR-15 is returned

CHESTERTOWN — A local resident on Tuesday returned to the State Police their AR-15 rifle that had gone missing last month.

The rifle was found by the resident the same day the fire

arm went missing on March 16, according to Trooper Kerra Burns. The person was unaware of having the state property until very recently, State Police said in a statement Wednesday.

The weapon was not stolen.

An investigation into how the rifle was lost is ongoing and a part of an internal administrative investigation, according to the State Police statement.

The weapon was lost in its nylon bag somewhere in the vicinity of Riverside Drive in Chestertown, the Times Union previously reported.