Dog shooting suspect arrested

Army Specialist Travis Carl McDermitt, 26, was stopped at the entrance to Fort Lewis during a random inspection. Guards discovered there was an arrest warrant out for him so they arrested him and transferred him to Pierce County jail. He is expected to be transferred to Skagit County jail.

One witness in the case, a local hotel owner, said a couple with a small child had spent several nights in his hotel. The couple’s dogs had damaged their motel room and the owner had been quite upset about the incident and made remarks that he was going to get rid of the dogs.
 
A second witness saw a man trying to catch the dogs in the area of the hotel on Saturday. A third witness talked with the man at Heart Lake. The man asked him if he wanted the dogs and told them he was going to kill them because they tore up the motel room.

The two dogs were shot with a handgun. Two spent .45 shell casings were found near the dead dog. That dog, a male boxer was found dead on a Saturday night. Hikers found the other dog on a trail the next day.

Anacortes Police Officer Mike Hansen has since adopted the female boxer.