Report: Man killed dog with rifle

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky man was arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting the family dog. Just before 10 a.m., Sandusky police officers were called to a home in the 400 block of Tyler St., for the report of a gunshot and screams. The matter was reported by a package delivery driver. When officers arrived, they did not hear a disturbance, according to a Sandusky police report. They knocked and two people emerged from the home. A 41-year-old woman said she heard her neighbor yelling, "I'm sorry," the report states. She said she went to the neighbor's home to check on him, as she knew his parents were out of town. The man, Nicholas Graves, Jr., 26, 400 block Tyler St., told officers he was cleaning his AR-15 rifle. He ejected the magazine and grabbed the charging handle. As he went to pull the handle back, the gun slipped from his grip, fell to the floor and discharged. The round struck the family's five-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, named Mila. Graves described the shooting as an "ND" or negligent discharge, the report states. The woman was pulled aside and asked if she believed Graves shot the dog on purpose. She told officers she did not think he would do that. Officers determined that Graves' initial story did not match the physical evidence and asked him to be truthful. Graves reportedly then said he was practicing "clearing his house with the (gun)," the report states. As he was doing so, he would pull the trigger, thinking the safety was engaged. Graves said he fully depressed the trigger and the gun fired, with the round striking and killing Mila. Graves was charged with one fifth-degree felony count of cruelty to animals. He was released on a $5,000 bond after being booked into Erie County Jail. Graves has a plea hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday in Sandusky Municipal Court.