SPOKANE, Wash. – 44-year-old Shaun Ball was released from the Spokane County Jail on his own recognizance on Monday after he was arrested for stabbing his family’s dog and assaulting his girlfriend and their daughter. Ball was arrested on March 31 for Animal Cruelty in the 1st Degree and two counts of fourth-degree assault. According to court documents, Ball’s family said he was drunk on Easter and began attacking the family dog. Ball claimed the dog had bitten him. However, one of the responding officers reported video footage of the incident showing Ball as the primary aggressor.The documents stated Ball slashed a long carving knife at the dog multiple times; the first slash was the deepest, cutting the dog’s back open. That cut was reported to be around 9-12 inches long, half-an-inch to one-inch deep. Ball was also seen stepping on the dog’s paws and picking the animal up by its head or neck.When one of Ball’s daughters intervened, the man allegedly grabbed her and pushed her down twice. Her mother and longtime girlfriend of Ball tried to separate the two, but that quickly resulted in the man pushing her into the family’s entertainment system. She suffered a few scrapes from her right forearm to her right shoulder.According to the court documents, when officers responded, they found the knife used on the dog in the kitchen sink; the dog’s hair and blood was seen on the weapon.In court Monday, Ball made his first appearance in front of a judge facing those charges of animal cruelty and assault. The court found probable cause for all three charges. And we now know the man does have prior domestic violence convictions.The state requested a domestic violence no-contact order between Ball and his girlfriend, and the judge granted that order. However, the court allowed Ball to communicate with the minors that were named in the documents – though, they will not be allowed to discuss any facts of this case.Despite the state asking for a $10,000 bond, the judge released Ball on his own recognizance. His next appearance in court will be April 17 for an out-of-custody arraignment.As for the family’s dog, Buddy, the court documents said an officer determined the animal needed medical attention; if the dog did not receive any, the officer believed, after years of training with the Spokane Police K9 Unit, that the injury could have been life-threatening.
