Two LaPorte County men are arrested after allegedly shooting a family horse in the head during an unsuccessful deer hunt.

Police say, 24-year-old Joseph Waldo and 25-year-old J.R. Skomac, confessed to shooting a Belgian draft horse in LaPorte County.

“They were out at night, it was a spur of the moment thing and they decided to shoot the horse. Prior to shooting the horse what they confessed to is that they were deer hunting and were unsuccessful and they saw a horse decided to shot the horse,” says Sgt. Pat Cicero from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department.

For the past month a reward was being offered to solve the case but an anonymous tip eventually helped police out. Police used forensic evidence to tie the two men back to the shooting.

The owners, Brian and Sue Satoski, say the horse was a member of the family. The horse, named Ben, was very popular in the community.

He was born on the family's farm, attended many fairs, and was very affectionate with children. The Satoskis believe Ben was called over to the side of the road and became an easy target when the shooting happened in mid-November.

“If you had seen this... it was out and out murder. And if they are going do this to an innocent animal what can they do to another human being? That's what scares me,” says Sue Satoski.

The two men face up to 3 years in prison for criminal mischief charges, a class D felony.

The community and United States Humane Society donated thousands of dollars in reward money. A total of $4,200 dollars in reward money was eventually collected.

The Sheriff's Department will decide who deserves it.

Both men are now out on bond. Since the arrest, an arrest warrant was issued for Skomac by the State Parole Board. He is wanted for violating his parole during the time of the shooting.

The Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information on J.R. Skomac’s whereabouts to call them at (800) 548-5374.