Bond was set at $10,000 in Marion County Court Friday for a 26-year-old Centralia man who was formally charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated cruelty to an animal in connection with the shooting death of his dog outside his home in 200 block of East 7th last Saturday morning.
Jarvis Brown had a previous felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing any weapons. If convicted of the unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon charge, there is a mandatory two to ten-year prison term required. A gun was reportedly found in the home Brown stayed at after he had left the area following the shooting. The aggravated cruelty to an animal charge has a possible extended term sentence to the same past felony conviction.
State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth due to the circumstances of the case he had asked for a bond of $40,000. He says several other potential charges included in the arrest report from Centralia Police would not fit the incident. Hudspeth says a Class X felony armed habitual criminal couldn’t be filed because Brown only has one past felony conviction and two are required by the law. He says a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm requires the gunshot to have been fired toward an occupied vehicle or building. The felon in possession of a vicious dog required a previous determination the dog was vicious, which had not happened.
If released on bond, Brown was ordered to not be in possession of any dangerous weapons and not be in possession or be a caretaker for any animal.
The public defender was appointed to represent Brown who is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on August 22nd.
