Fayette County animal control officer charged with shooting, killing 2 lost dogs
An animal control officer in Fayette County is facing multiple charges after police say he shot and killed two dogs who had gotten away from their owners.
"We're still trying to wrap our minds around it, how this could happen?" owner Lara Mickey said.
Lara Mickey is talking about her two dogs — a boxer and a husky, with the names Roxie and Luna.
According to the criminal complaint, police responded to a report of two dogs abandoned and tied to a pole on Sept. 5 at the Fort Mason Village Housing in Masontown.
Mickey said she left her two dogs, a boxer and a husky, to go to a high school football game. Mickey said she and her boyfriend were not aware that Roxie and Luna broke away from the property until they returned home at about 10 p.m.
"We kind of walked the wood lines and called for them," Mickey said. "I was worried they were in the woods."
Police say Samuel Vargo, 60, was contacted that night. The criminal complaint says he's the contracted animal control officer for Masontown. They allege Vargo unsuccessfully tried to scan the dogs, and he said the reader battery was dying.
The criminal complaint said one of the dogs was hesitant and fearful of the other, but that both dogs were not trying to "charge, attack, or pursue Vargo."
"Both dogs were microchipped," Mickey said.
The criminal complaint said police later found the dogs' tags between their shoulder blades and that they were active. It also said the law states that Vargo is required to house unlicensed dogs for 48 hours.
"That is supposed to start once the kennels open on Monday," Mickey said.
Police say Vargo admitted to not being a licensed kennel when the dogs needed to be taken to one. But they claim he admitted to taking them to his home.
"We started calling police, we started checking all the Facebook pages," Mickey said.
Mickey would soon realize it was too late.
Police say Vargo shot the two dogs to death the afternoon of Sept. 6, fewer than 24 hours after the dogs were first seized.
"Incredibly cruel," Mickey said. "They just turned two and they were shot point-blank."
Police say Vargo was asked if he was going to shoot the dogs to euthanize them. They claim he said in the criminal complaint, "Well what am I going to do with them?" It said he went on to add, "You ain't going to save every damn one."
"He seems like an individual who has been incredibly desensitized," Mickey said.
Mickey and her family thought they would never be going through something like what they have experienced.
"When we got both of our dogs microchipped, we felt like if this ever happened to us, we would be safe," she said. "There should have been time to get our dogs back. We tried all the routes."
She said Vargo stole a large part of who they were as a family.
"They weren't worthless, they were worth everything to us," Mickey said.
Vargo's charges include aggravated cruelty to an animal, cruelty to an animal and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He's facing two counts of each. Vargo is also facing one count of obstructing the administration of law or another government function.
KDKA reached out to the Borough of Masontown's solicitor's office on Tuesday morning via phone. It was where KDKA-TV was directed after showing up at the Masontown Borough building. KDKA-TV didn't hear back by airtime.
Vargo works in multiple municipalities
Vargo is also listed as the animal control officer for more than a dozen municipalities in three counties.
Animal control officers are contracted by local municipalities. There isn't a state agency overseeing them.
Mickey said she has created an online petition to get justice for her dogs.
"Why? A lot of questions. Why, how this could have happened," Mickey said.
Per Pennsylvania state law, an animal needs to be held for 48 hours before they're euthanized, unless the dog is severely injured and a vet gives permission. If a dog is microchipped like Mickey's were, they're to be held for 10 days.
In Fayette County, Vargo's contract with Masontown was terminated, but he still has contracts with Perryopolis and Everson. KDKA-TV reached out to boroughs in Washington County, where he's in charge of 13 areas.
Most agencies say Vargo's termination must go before council, and in a couple of municipalities, it's already on the agenda. In Perryopolis, a city leader said while the council will decide on this matter soon, Vargo planned on retiring in December.