Animal cruelty charges dropped against Winston-Salem man accused of shooting horses

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) -- Forsyth County prosecutors dropped all but one of the charges against a Winston-Salem man in connection with a Muddy Creek Greenway incident last year that left one horse shot to death and two other horses injured.

Alonzo D'Juan Cross, 20, pleaded guilty on May 16 in Forsyth District Court to one count of possession of a stolen firearm, according to court records. More than 12 other charges, including three counts of felony animal cruelty and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, were dismissed by prosecutors as part of a plea arrangement, court papers said.

“Based upon the evidence that was available to us, we would not have been able to successfully prosecute Cross for shooting the horses,” Assistant District Attorney Jane Garrity, who prosecuted the case, said in an email Monday. “What we believe and what we can prove are often two different things. It is also worth noting that the victims were supportive of our efforts.”

Forsyth District Court Judge Ted Kazakos gave Cross a suspended sentence of six months to 17 months in jail. He placed Cross on supervised probation for one year. Cross also has to pay $960 in restitution.

The shootings happened at Muddy Creek Greenway on the morning of May 12, 2018, a Saturday. Police said the three teenagers and Cross drove three stolen vehicles — a Chevrolet Impala, a Ford Bronco and a Ford Ranger pickup — onto the greenway, which is off Robinhood Road. The greenway is meant only for bicycles and pedestrians. Police got a call that the vehicles were speeding on the greenway. When officers got there, they found the wounded horses.