WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A judge has dismissed felony animal cruelty charges brought against a Pennsylvania state trooper who hit a loose horse with a patrol vehicle multiple times and pinned it to the pavement, where it was then euthanized.
Perillo, who enlisted in the state police in September 2006, was assigned to Troop J in Avondale. He has remained free on bail while awaiting trial.
His attorney, Williams Davis, told the West Chester Daily Local News that the decision to seek the dismissal was the correct choice and thanked the district attorney for seeking the dismissal.
“We always felt it was an unfair prosecution,” Davis said. “If my client had not taken action, things could have turned deadly. He was trying to protect other motorists.”