Animal control officer charged with fatally shooting two dogs
The animal control officer for Masontown is charged with taking two dogs into his custody on a Friday and shooting both in the head the following day.
Samuel Vargo, 60, of Charleroi, was called to Fort Mason Village in the borough on Friday, Sept. 5, after someone reported two dogs were tied to a pole. Masontown police said the boxer mix and husky mix had no identification tags, but appeared to be in good condition and were not aggressive.
Vargo tried to scan the animals to see if either had a microchip, but was unable to because the scanner had a low battery, according to court paperwork. He left and took the dogs with him, police said.
Under law, animal control officers are required to house unlicensed dogs for 48 hours, which does not include any times or days that a licensed kennel is not open to the public. Instead, police alleged, Vargo admitted he took the dogs to his home and euthanized them the next day by shooting them in the head.
By the evening of Saturday, Sept. 6, the dogs’ owners were located. When police contacted Vargo to return the animals, he reportedly said they were “gone.”
The complaint stated Vargo told police he had held the dogs for 48 hours, insisting that it was Sunday instead of Saturday. Eventually Vargo acknowledged it was Saturday, according to court paperwork.
The affidavit of probable cause indicated both dogs had microchips that would have identified their owners. Vargo reportedly told police he tried to scan one of the dogs, and when it snapped at him, he shot both dogs.
“When asked if he was allowed to shoot the dogs as a method of euthanization, he shrugged his shoulder (sic) and stated ‘Well,what am I going to do with them,'” police wrote in the complaint.
Vargo is charged with two counts each of aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals and tampering with evidence, and one count of obstructing the administration of law. He has yet to be arraigned on the charges.