Kotzebue man shoots 4 sled dogs

A Kotzebue man is behind bars and faces felony animal cruelty charges after Alaska State Troopers say he killed four sled dogs while drunk.

Troopers say 42-year-old Carl Henry Jr. showed up drunk at his mother’s cabin about 23 miles east of Kotzebue around 7:30 p.m. on April 9.

They say Alice Henry got into an argument with Henry and he left the cabin.

When she went out to feed her sled dogs, she found blood on the ground and four dogs missing.

Alice Henry told troopers that Carl Henry shot the four dogs and dragged them away on his snowmachine. She said she feared what Henry might do if he returned.

When officers responded around 11:30 p.m., they found a second man, who told them he and Henry had been drinking. KNOM radio has withheld his name because he has not been charged with a crime.

That’s when the man said Henry became angry that the dogs wouldn’t stop barking. The man told Troopers that Henry began to “shoot his gun up in the air to scare them to shut up.” When the dogs wouldn’t quiet down, the man said Henry shot four of them.

Troopers found several other dogs tied to trees. They said Wednesday they were unable to find the remains of the dogs Henry is accused of shooting, but said all four are presumed dead. Each dog is worth about $500, Alice Henry said.

Troopers issued a warrant for Carl Henry’s arrest and court records show he was picked up in Nome on Monday and formally charged on Wednesday in Kotzebue.

Henry faces two felony charges, one for criminal mischief and another for cruelty to animals. He faces a third misdemeanor charge for assault. His bail was set at $2,500 and requires a court-approved custodian.

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