Tiburon man arrested for shooting fawn, doe in his yard

TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Tiburon man was arrested Saturday after police say he shot a doe and her fawn on his property.

Tiburon Police say 54-year-old Mark Dickinson was arrested on animal cruelty charges after it was discovered he shot the deer with a pellet gun because they were eating new landscaping on his property.

"We got a call from a resident about 5 a.m. Saturday that someone was sneaking around with the flashlight, when our officers arrived we found the property owner near a deer that was dead and one which was dying," said Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin.

Dickinson was arrested on animal cruelty charges and later posted bail at the Marin County Jail.

Neighbors say they have seen the deer and her baby for weeks and are horrified they were killed.

"This is outrageous, to scare deer away, all you have to do is look at them, you don't need to shoot them," said resident Linda Meinberg.

Dickinson was not available for comment. His attorney, Charles Dresow said his client had no intention of hurting the animals.

"He just wanted to scare them away," said Dresow.

The Marin County District Attorney's office is reviewing the case.