Everson family fight involving two people, a dog and a shovel lands one in jail
A Whatcom County man was arrested for assault and animal abuse after allegedly striking a relative and a dog multiple times with a shovel around 5 p.m. Feb. 6 on the 2800 block of Tom Road in Everson.
The suspect, Simon Fedrerick Destaffany, 36, and the alleged victim are family members, and Destaffany reportedly became angry after being refused food, according to Deb Slater of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. Destaffany started yelling at the relative and the victim’s dog got in between the two of them to protect its owner, Slater said.
Destaffany reportedly went to hit the dog with a shovel but instead hit the relative, who was attempting to protect the dog. Destaffany struck the relative and the dog with the shovel about 20 times, the relative told authorities.
Police were called to the scene by Destaffany, who told them the relative had been bitten in the head by the dog. The relative denied the claim and described Destaffany’s alleged assault to police.
The relative was reported to have a cut on his head and dried blood on the right side of his face. The dog fled the scene and was found later by deputies, who could not determine if it had any injuries.
Destaffany was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault and first-degree animal cruelty. He remains in custody at Whatcom County Jail.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 9:50 AM.
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