Man arrested for threatening dog with gun in Cortez – The Durango Herald

Julio Reyes-Monge is said to have fired his gun to scare the dog

A man was arrested Friday in Cortez for allegedly threatening a dog with a gun and firing the gun when the dog barked at him.

Cortez Police Officer Jacob Bourdon responded to the scene around 8:30 a.m. Friday when 911 caller Chad Hummer told him a man had fired a 9mm Glock firearm into the air in a “threatening manner” before he Heading north was toward the new apartment buildings at 560 E. Empire St.

Over the radio, Assistant Police Chief Andy Brock said he was with a person near the residences, later identified as Julio Reyes-Monge. Reyes-Monge reportedly came out of the apartment building, approached Brock and told him that he was the one who fired the gun.

When he spoke with Bourdon, Reyes-Monge said he was at the residence on his way to work when a dog approached him as he walked across a vacant lot. The dog started barking at him as he tried to pass. Reyes-Monge said this had happened several times before and he allegedly told the dog's owners that he would shoot if it happened again.

Reyes-Monge said he fired a shot at the ground to scare the dog while simultaneously calling for the owners to come and get the dog. He said he was not on the dog owner's property. The firearm found in Reyes-Monge's backpack was confirmed to be a black Springfield Armory XD. Bourdon took possession of the weapon.

Chad and Sarah Hummer, the dog's owners, told police they were leaving their home when a man walked across their field and onto their driveway. Chad Hummer said the dog was barking at Reyes-Monge, who was 20 yards away, when he pulled out the gun and fired. Chad Hummer said the gun was fired in his direction and at his wife.

Bourdon said Chad Hummer told him he was “fearful of serious bodily harm” because of the shooting.

Detective Kristin Cannon spoke with Sarah Hummer, who said she was outside tending to her smaller dog and ducked when she heard the gunshot. She said she was scared when she heard it.

When Bourdon returned to the apartment to speak with Reyes-Monge, he told him that firing the gun was considered a threatening crime. Although Reyes-Monge again said he was just trying to scare the dog and that he was 100 yards from their home when he fired, he was arrested and taken to the Montezuma County Detention Center. There he was charged with grievous bodily harm and prohibited use of firearms.

Reyes-Monge appeared in 22nd Judicial District Court at 9 a.m. Thursday for a bail hearing and return of charges

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