GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—A Fruita woman accused of stealing a dog that her brother is accused of killing at the Colorado National Monument has pleaded not guilty.
Delta County court records show 32-year-old Melissa Lockhart pleaded not guilty to theft Wednesday and is set for trial Aug. 16.
Separately, she faces a federal charge of misleading investigators looking into the dog’s death last December.
Investigators allege Lockhart stole the dog, then told her 38-year-old brother, Steven Clay Romero, to get rid of it after it attacked a family cat. Prosecutors allege Romero dragged the dog behind his pickup.
Romero’s lawyer has indicated Romero intends to plead guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals April 29 in federal court in Denver.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
