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Date Posted: 05:39:53 10/30/06 Mon
Author: Julie
Subject: with a shotgun!
In reply to: Julie 's message, "Tony Mendes Rodeo Bull shot" on 05:38:53 10/30/06 Mon

Deseret Morning News, Sunday, October 29, 2006

Rodeo bull shot; felony charge filed

By Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret Morning News

Tony Mendes was hopeful Charley's Nephew could develop into a John
Elway-style athlete, a powerful competitor able to retire at the height
of his career.
Image
Charley's Nephew

Matt Breneman

Now, it could be that Charley's Nephew is destined to be little more
than a lunch special at Carl's Jr.

Mendes, a resident of Jensen, a small community near Vernal, is a world
champion bull rider who makes his living on the rodeo circuit. He is
mourning over injuries his 4-year-old bull suffered in September when
authorities say a neighbor shot it repeatedly with a shotgun.

The neighbor, Devin Murray, 24, was charged last week in 8th District
Court with second-degree felony criminal mischief stemming from the
Sept. 15 shooting outside of Vernal. His court appearance is set for
Nov. 13.

Uintah County Attorney JoAnn Stringham said that although the bull
survived, the incident prompted the filing of the felony because of the
amount of damage.

"It fit the elements of the crime — intentionally damaging the property
of another with a value in excess of $5,000."

Mendes said he bought the bull two years ago at a nationally televised
sale for $4,700 and since then has traveled the country with the animal
for use in bull-riding competitions. He estimates the animal's value at
well over $25,000 — maybe as much as $50,000 — but said the real loss is
that it is no longer fit for competition.

"The bull is going to survive, but his potential to be an athlete; well,
he is not going to be able to do that. He is not going to be able to buck."

Mendes, who did not witness the shooting, believes a feud with a
neighbor prompted the attack after the bull somehow got loose.

Authorities say the bull was not threatening anyone, and before it could
be retrieved by the Mendes family, it was shot as many as seven times,
with three hits to the head. Mendes said both eyes suffered damage, and
the bull may lose one.

"What makes me upset is that this bull had his whole life ahead of him,
with several years left of being an athlete. It's like taking a Little
Leaguer away from being able to play in the profession — you never know
if he is going to be the next John Elway or not."
Image
Eastern Utah's Charley's Nephew was worth up to $50,000 as a top bull on
the PRCA circuit.

Matt Breneman

Mendes has been on the rodeo circuit for over a decade, earning the
bull-riding Rookie of the Year title in 1996 from the Professional Rodeo
Cowboy Association and qualifying for the world finals seven consecutive
years.

Bulls, he said, are the tools of his trade.

"I make my living riding bulls, and aside from that, I raise them well.
They are like my kids, and they are trained athletes that are valued.
The fact that someone would do something like this to an animal, it's a
twisted deal."

Mendes is hopeful the animal can be salvaged for breeding purposes, but
if bulls become lazy or don't perform, he says "slaughter comes into play."

The criminal charge comes even as advocates are pushing Utah lawmakers
to pass a law that would make egregious animal cruelty, such as torture,
a third-degree felony. As it is, acts of violence against animals that
are deemed "cruelty" under the law are misdemeanors.

Authorities say what happened to Charley's Nephew can be encompassed in
a different statute that allows them to seek a stiffer penalty —
criminal mischief as it applies to people's property.

"If someone destroyed your dog, obviously you love your dog, but your
dog didn't have the value of this bull," Stringham sa

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