Man to serve 1 year in prison after pleading guilty in Hillsborough County horse shooting
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - A man will spend one year in Florida State Prison after pleading guilty to four felonies connected to the shooting death of a horse in Hillsborough County, prosecutors said.The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said Joel Gutierrez pleaded guilty in the case involving a horse named Ms. Mo.Prosecutors said Gutierrez went to a home on North Turkey Creek Road in September 2024 seeking payment for work. An argument followed, and Gutierrez threatened to shoot a horse unless he was paid, according to the state attorney’s office.Tampa man arrested in fatal shooting, sheriff’s office saysInvestigators said Gutierrez fired from a vehicle, striking Ms. Mo. The bullet fractured the horse’s leg, prosecutors said, and the injuries were severe enough that the horse had to be euthanized.Gutierrez pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals with a weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, grand theft of an animal and breaking or injuring fences conta