This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former Tabiona city councilman is in trouble with the law again after allegedly shooting another dog.
In 2011, Rickey Evin Wilberg resigned from the City Council after he shot his neighbor's Chihuahua with a .22-caliber rifle because he was tired of its barking. He pleaded guilty to felony-level aggravated cruelty to an animal, which was later amended to a class A misdemeanor. He served 10 days in the Duchesne County jail and paid $1,000 in restitution to his neighbors.
Now Wilberg, 61, has been charged after shooting his own dog.
Prosecutors charged Wilberg on Monday in 8th District Court with having a firearm as a restricted person — due to his prior conviction — which is a third-degree felony that carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.
He also was charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, discharge of a firearm and intoxication, which are misdemeanors.
On Feb. 6, a Duchesne County sheriff's sergeant and a detective arrived at Wilberg's home about 1:45 p.m. after someone heard gunshots and called 911. Wilberg told them that he had taken his dog outside and shot it with a .357-caliber magnum pistol, then put the dog in the garbage can and shot it again so it would not suffer.
While talking with Wilberg, the pair noticed a pipe with marijuana residue in it, according to the charges. When the detective asked him about, Wilberg showed them a prescription bottle that contained a few marijuana buds.
They also noticed alcohol on his breath, and Wilberg told them he had had four shots that day.
They arrested him and took him to jail, where a test showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.137, the charges add.
They booked him into the jail on Monday, though he has since been released on $1,591 bail.
He's scheduled to make his first court appearance on Feb. 28.
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