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Woman pleads guilty in dog dragging case

DENVER (AP) – A woman accused of lying about the death of a dog that was dragged behind a pickup truck in Colorado National Monument has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.

Thirty-two-year-old Melissa Marie Lockhart pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Denver and was released on bond.

A plea agreement says Lockhart had taken the dog, named Buddy, and another dog from the Delta area on Dec. 20 and that her brother, Steven Clay Romero, killed Buddy after it was blamed for the death of a kitten at Lockhart’s house.



Romero has pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty. He is due for sentencing July 30.

Lockhart faces up to 18 months in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled Sept. 17.


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