Crime & Safety

Accused Dog Shooter Testifies That Confiscated Bullets, Gun Were Not His

Raymone Clements, a convicted felon, is charged with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition

On Tuesday, during the federal trial of Raymone Clements, a Cleveland Heights police detective played a recording in which Clements denied shooting a chained dog at Forest Hill Park.

On Wednesday, Clements testified that the .22-caliber gun and two .22-caliber bullets that were found in different homes where he stated did not belong to him, according to The Plaine Dealer.

For purposes of the trial, whether the jury believes Clements on the second point is more important than the first.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Clements, 42, of Cleveland, has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon -- charges to which he pleaded not guilty.

He is not allowed to own guns or ammunitions because he has previous convictions in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for rape in 2006, drug trafficking in 2003 and aggravated robbery in 1991, according to his indictment.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He faces between 19 and 24 years in prison if he is convicted.

Though Clements was originally charged in local courts for animal cruelty and weapons charges, those charges were dropped in lieu of federal prosecution.

The ammunition charge carries a greater sentence -- if Clements is convicted -- than a conviction of animal cruelty would have.

Upon questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Galvin, Clements testified that it was a coincidence that the bullets and gun were found in places he lived, The Plain Dealer reported.

U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent is overseeing the trial, which is not finished.

Clements is accused of chaining Forrest the Dog to a tree in Cleveland Heights Park and shooting at him four times.

Forrest, a bull mastiff, survived the shooting and he now lives in Solon with a new owner.

The accusations against Clements have drawn the ire of animal rights activists.

About 100 people gathered at Public Square on the day Clements' trial began to rally for lawmakers to make animal abuse a felony in Ohio.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Cleveland Heights