   AMERICAN FALLS — A Power County jury convicted Tina Siemon of malicious injury to property for shooting and killing a dog belonging to Garden Creek neighbors, Jay and Gail Cottam, in a case of mistaken identity last week.
   According to court testimony, Siemon had experienced problems with a black lab in her rural subdivision. She armed herself to dispose of the problem dog, but mistook the Cottam’s two-year-old chocolate lab for the culprit when she pulled the trigger.
   Charges were filed after an investigation by the Power County Sheriff’s Office and Siemon pled no guilty. The jury trial lasted a full day and Siemon was prosecuted by county prosector Randy Kline. Judge Eric Hunn will sentence Siemons on Aug. 23.
   In an unrelated jury trials held recently, Kline successfully convicted Thomas Beason, of Moore, for misdemeanor injury to a child and Ricky Crowder, Jr., of American Falls, on two counts of felony statutory rape for having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl.
   Crowder was sentenced to three years fixed and three years indeterminant with the court retaining jurisdiciton for one year. Crowder will be required to register as a sex offender.
(1) comment
Letter to the Editor....
Woman convicted of shooting dog in rural Power County....
Wow !!! Where's the rest of the story? Where is the part that says this dog was attacking her disabled dog with Hip dysplasia who could not get away. All her dog could do is scream.
I have babysat her dogs, Sadie had to be helpped up the steps.
her back legs were real bad.
This neighbor told this WOMAN next door to watch out for wild Labs that were killing his chickens.
His dogs are caged up and are never allowed to run so in the middle of the night, why would this 50 some year old women in her PJ's letting her dogs out to go potty at 4:30 in the morning think this was the neighbor's dog and not the wild dogs he himself told them about.
This WOMAN in rural Power County was protecting her baby Sadie.
Her dogs sleep in the bedroom with their family not in a cage like his. This sounds to me like a horrible mistaken identity.
She apparently could have protected a rooster but not her 8 year old Australian Shepard who went down hill fast after the attack and had to be put down.
The lawyer in this case told this WOMAN not to speak, tell her story or show emotion. How is that a fair trail???
GOD Bless You Sadie and the WOMAN in Power County that tried to protect you, your mommy.
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