The Saxonburg borough manager is accused of shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog with a crossbow before disposing of it in a dumpster outside the borough building last month.

Steven May, 43, of Clinton Township, told police he had mistaken the dog for a coyote when he shot it Nov. 11, according to charging documents.

May was charged Wednesday, Dec. 20, with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals, misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and tampering with physical evidence, and summary damage to personal property.

May was arrested by Buffalo Township Police and arraigned Wednesday morning by District Judge William Fullerton before being released on his own recognizance.

May’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 23 in front of District Judge Sue Haggerty.

According to charging documents, Hanna Goldscheitter and her mother, Geraldine Goldscheitter, of Buffalo Township, reported the incident to police on Nov. 17.

On Nov. 11, the Goldscheitters noticed their red merle Australian Shepherd and their other dog were missing. The dogs went missing between 7 and 7:30 a.m., and only one of the dogs returned by 8 a.m.

The family alerted the community to their missing dog later that day and posted missing dog flyers the following day.

On Nov. 14, Hanna Goldscheitter received a call from a neighbor who identified himself as Steve who, according to police, told her the dog had been hit by a car.

Geraldine Goldscheitter called the neighbor back two days later to ask for more information. She told police May admitted to shooting the dog with a crossbow and disposing of it in a dumpster in Saxonburg.

The dumpster May used Nov. 11 was located in the parking lot of the Saxonburg municipal building on West Main Street.

Charging documents indicate May spoke with Saxonburg Police Chief Joseph Beachem on Nov. 17 about the dog. May told Beachem he offered to pay the family for the loss of the dog.

He also said he used that particular dumpster because he knew it would be emptied in two days, police said.

Security cameras spotted May’s white Ford F-150 pull up to the dumpster around 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11. Someone exited the car and put something in the dumpster, police said.

On Tuesday, before his arrest, May attended the monthly Saxonburg borough council meeting. The incident was not mentioned at the meeting.

May did not respond to a request for comment. Saxonburg’s Mayor William Gillespie also did not respond to a request for comment.