Man armed with ax accused of stealing dog from fenced yard

A man armed with an ax allegedly tried to steal a dog from a fenced yard in West Central Spokane Monday afternoon.

Residents in the 2000 block of West Boone told police they saw a man trying to take the dog and warned him off. A few minutes later, though, they noticed the dog was gone and the man was walking away with him, according to court documents.

A resident said he confronted the man, identified by police as 34-year-old Joshua P. Spottedhorse, and Spottedhorse pulled an ax out of his pants and waved it around threateningly, according to court documents. The resident ran back to the house and Spottedhorse reportedly let the dog go and walked away.

Police located Spottedhorse nearby and found an ax in his pants with “Kill you dead” written on it, according to court documents. He is facing charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree burglary. His bond was set at $40,000 Tuesday.