MADISON (WKOW) -- A jury finds an Evansville hunter guilty of animal mistreatment in the killing of one of two dogs who mistook for coyotes.
But the Dane County jury Wednesday acquitted Kurt Rausch of the same charge in the shooting of the other dog, and of a charge of endangerment.
In January 2016, Rausch was legally hunting at night in a wildlife area near Stoughton, using a coyote call to attract his hoped-for prey. A local veterinarian's husky and mastiff were also in the rural plot, and Rausch shot them when they appeared out of the woods.
Trial testimony highlighted the mastiff's features did not resemble those of a coyote. The guilty verdict pertains to Rausch's negligent shooting of that animal.
Rausch has no previous criminal record. A jail sentence is possible on his misdemeanor conviction when he's sentenced in February.
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