Court Appearance Cancelled for Accused Dog Shooter

Update: Clements' arraignment was cancelled because he will now be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Click for more.

The man accused of chaining a dog to a tree and shooting it last November will not appear in court Friday.

Raymone Clements, 42, of Cleveland, has been charged with animal cruelty, discharging a weapon within city limits and having a weapon under disability.

He faces five years, seven and a half months in jail if convicted on all counts.

Police say hitting him twice - once each in the head and the shoulder.

PAWS, an animal rescue organization, has also cancelled a protest that was supposed to take place outside the courthouse during Clements' appearance.

Cuyahoga County Court documents indicate that the postponment was at the request of the prosecution. A new date has not yet been set.

The Cuyahoga Prosecutor's Office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Clements was on parole after serving a five-year prison sentence for rape of a victim under the age of 13 at the time of the incident. By law, no one convicted of a felony may have a gun in Ohio.

See all stories on the Forest Hill dog shooting.