Local Firefighter Who Shot, Dumped Dogs Pleads

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A Columbus firefighter who admitted he fatally shot his dogs and dumped them at a fire station entered a plea Wednesday.

It’s a story NBC 4 has been following since late last year, and NBC 4’s Mikaela Hunt was in the courtroom for his sentencing.

David Santuomo seemed edgy but not visibly upset during his hearing in Franklin County municipal court.

Prosecutors painted a grim picture of what happened at Santuomo’s home right before his December vacation: The defendant laid plastic sheeting on the floor of his basement and tied the dogs to a pipe running along the ceiling. The dogs were partially suspended from the ceiling. He took a rifle, which he equipped with a homemade silencing device, and shot the dogs multiple times.

Santuomo pleaded guilty to two charges of animal cruelty and one count of possessing criminal tools Wednesday. All three are misdemeanor charges.

Judge Harlan Hale sentenced the firefighter to 90 days in jail, five years of probation and a five-year ban on having or living with an animal.

Hale said Santuomo would not be allowed to own firearms and was required to get alcohol, drug and mental-health counseling.

Santuomo’s sentence also included writing an apology letter that will appear in International Fire Fighters Magazine and 200 hours of community service.

Santuomo did not speak in court and would not speak with Hunt after the sentencing.

“Why did he choose not to speak up in court this morning? Because this was the result of lengthy negotiations between the parties,” Santuomo’s defense lawyer Sam Shamansky said. “The court accepted the resolution, and he didn’t have anything further to add. Through me he wanted to add how remorseful he is.”

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said his office did not pursue felony charges because there is not a felony animal-abuse charge under Ohio law.

“We felt that the misdemeanors with 180 days was a sufficient resolution,” O’Brien said.

Santuomo told Capital Area Humane Society investigators the two dogs grew ill after digesting antifreeze Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. He said the dogs were shot Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008.

Kerry Manion, chief humane agent said Santuomo told him he didn’t have enough money to take the dogs to the vet. That was after humane-society agents retrieved the dogs’ bodies from the dumpster behind Firehouse 27 on Smoky Row Road.

Manion said the dogs were shot multiple times with a .22-caliber firearm.

Toxicology tests that determined whether the dogs were poisoned with antifreeze were not available. The necropsy results were not made available because the Capital Area Humane Society, which performed the procedure, is a private entity. 

Battalion Chief Doug Smith said there was talk Santuomo shot the dogs because he had no one to take care of them while on a vacation cruise.

NBC 4 obtained a search warrant on Santuomo’s home late last year that said Santuomo sent several text messages bragging that he was going to shoot his dogs instead of paying for their boarding during his vacation.

Columbus fire said it remained unclear currently whether Santuomo, a 12-year veteran, will keep his job with the division.

The division completed an internal investigation, and the fire chief was to make the decision on possible job loss or reprimand.

Local 67 said the misdemeanor crimes were not an issue of job performance.

Columbus Firefighters Union president Jack Reall said he was surprised by the detailed sentencing and that rapists are sentenced to less.

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