FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – A 15-year-old Fruitport Township boy has been charged with a felony for allegedly shooting a neighbor's miniature schnauzer dog with a pellet rifle, fatally wounding the little dog.

The teen, who lives in the Whispering Woods subdivision south of Heights Ravenna Road, is accused of shooting the dog once in the left hind leg and abdomen without just cause on Sunday, Nov. 30. The boy allegedly came out of his family's home's front door and fired the shot at the dog, who was walking near the property.

The 4-year-old male dog, named Axel, returned bleeding to Axel's home and died there in front of his owner's family, including children, according to a Fruitport Township Police Department report.

Police seized the pellet gun but did not arrest the teen. Police referred the case to the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, and that office on Tuesday, Dec. 2, filed a petition in Muskegon County Family Court charging the teen with killing an animal without just cause, according to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat.

That's a felony that would carry a potential maximum penalty of four years in prison if an adult were charged with it. Because the alleged shooter is charged as a juvenile, the eventual penalty in case of conviction will be up to a Family Court judge, who could retain jurisdiction until the defendant's 21st birthday.

As of midday Wednesday, Dec. 3, a preliminary hearing with a Family Court referee – the first stage of the court process – had not yet been scheduled, Maat said.

John S. Hausman covers courts, prisons, the environment and local government for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at jhausman@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter.