Gilchrist County man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog, claims Stand Your Ground

BELL, Fla. (WCJB) - An 85-year-old Gilchrist County man will face a jury trial next month on charges of aggravated animal cruelty after shooting his neighbor’s dog.

Larry Boiven is accused of shooting the dog in October while walking to a neighbor’s house. He said the dog approached him while growling, causing him to fear an attack.

“I felt in fear of being bitten and chewed up. I’ve been bitten twice by dogs before. It’s very unpleasant, you’re helpless,” Boiven said.

Boiven said he has had issues with his neighbor’s dogs escaping for years. He said his age, combined with being legally blind and physically unstable, heightens his fear of the animals.

Video evidence reviewed

Video shot by a neighbor shows one dog directly across from Boiven, who is already holding his gun. A deputy who reviewed the video evidence explained a dog will often back away before it attacks and believes that’s what the dog was doing in the video.

The deputy ended up shooting the dog to end its suffering.

Deputies did not initially arrest Boiven, but returned later to take him into custody.

“I was taken back. We have two law enforcement officers, they are trained to be able to determine whether probable cause existed. These aren’t new deputies that just showed up,” said Maurice T. McDaniel, Boiven’s attorney.

Prior warnings issued

During a deposition, an animal control officer said she issued the dog’s owners a written warning to keep the dogs on their property.

The owner of the dog declined to comment but said the incident has taken a toll on their family and been a devastating loss. The owner said no one else in the neighborhood seemed to have had a problem with their dogs besides Boiven and another man across the street.

The Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office has no comment at this time.

“I’m a normal person. I love freedom. I’ve served six years in the military. I’ve done nothing wrong in my life except maybe exceed the speed limit a time or two,” Boiven said.

Jury selection begins July 6. If convicted, Boiven faces up to five years in prison.

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