Robert Wallish, III

WESTPORT — A Hummelstown, Pa., man was charged with shooting and killing a neighbor’s dog near a property he used for hunting in Noyes Township, on Dec. 16, 2024.

Now, just over two months later, police have charged Robert Wallish with aggravated cruelty to animals, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse through an arrest warrant issued by District Judge Frank Mills.

According to a release from District Attorney Dave Strouse’s office via Crimewatch, an investigation began on Dec. 16, when troopers from state police at Lamar were called to a residence in Noyes Township for reports of animal cruelty.

The victim told police he let his dog, an 11-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, out at approximately 5:30 a.m. that day but the dog never returned.

A search for the dog led the victim to a neighboring property owned or inhabited by Wallish, who has a permanent address in Hummelstown. Wallish is believed to use the Noyes Township property as a hunting cabin, according to the release.

On Wallish’s property, the victim allegedly discovered blood, dog hair and other biological matter, according to police.

State police later executed several search warrants in both Clinton and Dauphin County during its investigation, the release said.

On Dec. 17, the dog was found deceased approximately 150 miles away from the scene where it is believed to have been killed with a gunshot wound to its neck, the release said.

Biological evidence obtained in the investigation was taken to East Stroudsburg University lab for DNA analysis that included biological matter recovered from Wallish’s property in Clinton County and a sample from the victim’s deceased dog, the release said.

The biological matter and the sample from the victim’s deceased dog yielded a positive match, according to reports.

On Feb. 20, Wallish was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and other related charges and arraigned late last week, according to the release. Bail was set at $15,000 unsecured.

According to the release, Wallish is scheduled for his first court appearance in Clinton County on March 3, at 9:15 a.m.