The court has set a trial date of January 23, 2023 in Division 14 of St. Louis County Circuit Court for John C. Ross III, 62, who faces two felony charges for allegedly stabbing his neighbor’s dog, Teddy, to death in Crestwood in 2019. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Ross with Animal Abuse by Mutilating an Animal While It Is Alive and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, both Class E Felonies.

According to a probable cause statement signed by a Crestwood Police Department detective:

“Victim and Defendant are neighbors. Victim’s dog strayed onto Defendant’s property. Defendant stabbed victim’s dog numerous times. After the first stab, victim was outside, saw Defendant holding the dog down and about to stab the dog again with a knife and screamed for the Defendant not to stab the dog again. Victims observed Defendant viciously stab the dog multiple times. Dog was taken to the Vet where he later was euthanized due to injuries from the stabbing.

“I believe that the defendant poses a danger to the crime victim because the defendant never called police after stabbing the dog, he washed the blood off the knife after stabbing the dog ‘6 or 7 times’ according to his own words and corroborates the victim’s statement that the defendant was standing outside his house with a firearm after this stabbing starring down the victims who are his neighbors.”