Bull Shot and Killed, Atkins Family Asking for Answers
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: September 14, 2012
"We go out here all the time to check the cows and saw something laying our here," she said, pointing toward the fence.
A recent ride in the pasture outside Atkins revealed a disturbing sight for Angela Nogosek.
"It was so bad, I was sick for two days straight," she said. "It was gross, nasty, and heartbreaking."
Nogosek lives on the family farm, and their bull Buddy was shot more than 10 times. He was left to die behind the barbed wire near the side of the road on August 29, 2012.
"I believe if they're capable of that they're capable of shooting a human being," she said. "If they're capable of shooting that many times, they're certainly capable of pulling the trigger on someone. This was no hunting accident. This is animal cruelty. I don't know what to think."
The Pope County Sheriff's office is investigating the incident.
"We're taking it very seriously, namely because that's a family's livelihood you're talking about," said PCSO investigator Erick Riggs. "We do think this was a random act. We don't think anyone is targeting this family. And we don't think they're targeting livestock in particular. But it may be connected to other crimes in the county."
"It's going to cut down the calving process for at least a year or two. He sired roughly 30 to 40 calves out here in the pasture," Nogosek said. "So you're losing that much money out there, too."
That's aside from the $2,000 the 1,500 pound animal was worth on his own. That's house payments, car payments, grocery money, all gone.
But Buddy was more than just a breeder. He was also a family pet, raised by Nogosek's grandfather who died back in December.
"He was my grandpa's bull. He raised him up from a calf to eat out of the back of his car and the palm of his hand," Nogosek said. "We all have memories of him with Buddy. For my grandmother, it was really heartbreaking."
The Nogosek family is offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest, saying the person responsible has put others' safety at risk.
"I'm worried that they could do it to somebody else's animals. Matter of fact I'm worried about my kids. They could have shot my kids," she said. "Someone knows something. And we'd just like them to come forward so that this person can be held responsible."
If you have any information on this incident, you're asked to contact Pope County Sheriff's Office at (479) 968-2558 and ask for Erick Riggs.
A recent ride in the pasture outside Atkins revealed a disturbing sight for Angela Nogosek.
"It was so bad, I was sick for two days straight," she said. "It was gross, nasty, and heartbreaking."
Nogosek lives on the family farm, and their bull Buddy was shot more than 10 times. He was left to die behind the barbed wire near the side of the road on August 29, 2012.
"I believe if they're capable of that they're capable of shooting a human being," she said. "If they're capable of shooting that many times, they're certainly capable of pulling the trigger on someone. This was no hunting accident. This is animal cruelty. I don't know what to think."
The Pope County Sheriff's office is investigating the incident.
"We're taking it very seriously, namely because that's a family's livelihood you're talking about," said PCSO investigator Erick Riggs. "We do think this was a random act. We don't think anyone is targeting this family. And we don't think they're targeting livestock in particular. But it may be connected to other crimes in the county."
"It's going to cut down the calving process for at least a year or two. He sired roughly 30 to 40 calves out here in the pasture," Nogosek said. "So you're losing that much money out there, too."
That's aside from the $2,000 the 1,500 pound animal was worth on his own. That's house payments, car payments, grocery money, all gone.
But Buddy was more than just a breeder. He was also a family pet, raised by Nogosek's grandfather who died back in December.
"He was my grandpa's bull. He raised him up from a calf to eat out of the back of his car and the palm of his hand," Nogosek said. "We all have memories of him with Buddy. For my grandmother, it was really heartbreaking."
The Nogosek family is offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest, saying the person responsible has put others' safety at risk.
"I'm worried that they could do it to somebody else's animals. Matter of fact I'm worried about my kids. They could have shot my kids," she said. "Someone knows something. And we'd just like them to come forward so that this person can be held responsible."
If you have any information on this incident, you're asked to contact Pope County Sheriff's Office at (479) 968-2558 and ask for Erick Riggs.
