Strafford Man Pleads Innocent
To Poisoning Neighbors’ Dogs
By Cornelia Cesari

James Bailey, 63, of Pennock Road in Strafford pleaded innocent to cruelty to animals for allegedly poisoning local dogs. He was arraigned Dec. 19 at Vermont District Court in Chelsea.

The charges stem from an investigation prompted by an Oct. 1 call to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department from Chris Kendall of Old City Falls Road in Strafford. Kendall reported that his dog, Duke, had been poisoned with antifreeze. The previous afternoon, Duke had been running with Lilly, a dog owned by Willis Phelps.

Duke and Lilly both became ill Monday morning and were taken to the Lyme, N.H. Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Virginia Prince confirmed that both dogs were diagnosed with ethylene glycol toxicity, or antifreeze poisoning, and had to be euthanized.

During the course of an investigation, which was conducted by Deputy Jude Bishop, with the assistance of Constable Ed Eastman, it emerged that Bailey had allegedly threatened to poison the dogs of another neighbor, Brian Hardy. According to Hardy, as quoted in the affidavit, Bailey had "told him several times that he had put poison out for coyotes and to keep his dogs off his land." This intent was confirmed by another neighbor, Phyllis Harmon.

Barbara Raives reported her dog finding a pile of green "meat-looking" slurry on a rock near Hardy’s property on Sept. 30, the afternoon the two dogs consumed antifreeze, and Bailey’s neighbor, Craig Walker, reported observing Duke and Lilly behind his house on that day.

Vermont Statutes Title 13 section 362 states that a person who "exposes a poison with the intent that it be taken by an animal" is guilty of Title 13 section 352a, cruelty to animals.

When questioned by an OCSD deputy on Nov. 9, Bailey denied poisoning the dogs, but became "extremely agitated" and said that he was angry with Hardy because his dogs were "running all over his property, chasing deer, and had scared his parrot and caused it to fly into a window."

On a separate occasion, according to the deputy’s affidavit, Bailey "asked hypothetically what would happen if a dog got in his trash and spread it all over his yard, and he cleaned it up and put antifreeze and meat in it and left it outside."

Denying again that he had poisoned the dogs, Bailey went on to describe to the deputy a dog trap he had built and placed by his pond.

Aggravated cruelty under title 13 section 352a is punishable by a sentence of up to three years and/or a fine of up to $5000.