The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 18-years-old ROBERT DARRELL KELLEY and 20-years-old JACOB CONNER BRADY (both pictured), for the shooting of a horse.
In a media release, the sheriff’s office said that on October 18, 2023, deputies responded to the 11200 block of Cauthorne Road in Glen Allen to investigate the shooting of a 19-year-old American Paint horse named Jake. Deputies learned that the day before, Jake had been shot between his jaw and eye.
Jake was severely injured but thankfully survived the shooting. He was taken to the Blue Ridge Equine Clinic in Charlottesville where he “underwent multiple surgeries to repair and reconstruct his sinus cavity and dental structure”, stated the release.
WRIC reports that Lindsay Neist, with Virginia Equine PLLC in Goochland County, received a call from Jake’s family asking her to check on him before it was ultimately determined that he had been shot.
Ms. Neist told WRIC: “By the time I got there the owner was suspicious that it had been a gunshot wound. She had found kind of a trail of blood and someone had heard a gunshot the night before.”
Ms. Neist examined Jake and did radiographs which showed bullet debris. She also reported that Jake’s teeth had been damaged and that he is battling an infection.
Sergeant Steve Wills with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office tells me that Jake is “recovering well from [what] I am told.”
In an interview with 12 On Your Side, Sergeant Wills recounted the facts and explained that in the same area where Jake was shot, there also had been also shootings involving some mailboxes. Deputies were first alerted on October 14, 2023, and then again on October 17, 2023, when Jake was also shot.
At the scene of Jake’s shooting, investigators recovered two rifle cartridges. The sheriff’s office said that through evidence found at the scene and technology, KELLEY and BRADY were identified and arrested with the assistance of the Richmond Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department.
KELLEY, of Chesterfield, and BRADY, of Richmond, were placed under arrest on December 5, 2023, and booked into the Pamunkey Regional Jail on animal cruelty, maiming of livestock, destruction of property, and maliciously shooting into an occupied building among other charges. They are being held without bond.
Sergeant Wills further told me that KELLEY and BRADY “were fairly forthcoming with their actions. We believe they have committed similar offenses in other jurisdictions and we are currently working with those jurisdictions to investigate.”
With regard to KELLEY and BRADY’s arrest, Ms. Neist told WRIC: “I’m grateful that they were caught. Now that they found these guys, it’s cruel for no reason other than to be cruel. It’s disgusting to think someone would like purposely do that which is hard to believe but was the case. I feel really good for the horse and for the family.”
Court records show that KELLEY and BRADY are scheduled to appear at Hanover General District Court on Friday, February 2, 2024, at 8:30 a.m.
The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information regarding Jake’s shooting to contact the office at (804) - 365 - 6140 or the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at (804) - 780 - 1000. Thank you!
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Mugshots shared from the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Jake’s pictures provided to Voice For Us by the Hanover County Sheriff's Office.
