Steven Clay Romero, age 38, of Grand Junction, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer to serve the maximum sentence provided by the law,
36 months in federal prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release for aggravated animal cruelty
in the dragging death of “Buddy the Dog,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the National Park Service
announced.
Romero, who appeared in custody, was remanded to begin serving his sentence immediately. Judge Brimmer also ordered Romero to pay a $500 fine, and $343.68 in restitution to the
owners of Buddy.
According to the indictment and subsequent guilty plea, in the early morning hours of December 30, 2009, a carcass of a large mixed-breed dog with a rope tied around its neck was discovered in the Colorado National Monument in Mesa County, Colorado. Evidence from surveillance photos and marks left in the snow indicated the dog had been dragged from the back of a pick-up truck. The Colorado National Monument is within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States and the District
of Colorado.
Earlier that evening, Romero had taken the dog alive in the back of a pick-up truck to Colorado National Monument. Romero tied a rope to the dog’s neck and dragged the dog behind the truck until
the dog was dead. By doing so, Romero needlessly mutilated, tortured and killed the dog.
Romero’s sister, Melissa Marie Lockhart is charged with being an accessory after the fact to
aggravated animal cruelty for her attempt to cover up the dog’s murder. Her case is still pending. If
convicted, Lockhart faces not more than 3 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine, or both.