Authorities are investigating an incident in Questa which occurred on Thursday, May 8. Police responded to the scene near 2324 NM-522 where a woman was involved in a weed whacker incident with a dog. The dog later died from the injuries sustained in the incident.
Taylor Sasser, the dog’s owner, spoke with our publication, telling us that her daughter’s dog, Aspen, was playing in the yard with one of her children when a woman approached the property and attacked the dog. Sasser claims the woman passed a “private property” sign before the alleged attack.
At this time, there is no known surveillance footage of the incident.
According to the Village of Questa, the case has been referred to the Taos County District Attorney’s Office due to additional circumstances involved. At the time, the Village said it is unable to comment further while the case remains under investigation. No arrests were made immediately after the incident occured.
Many in the community have shown outrage, demanding immediate police action, including the arrest of the woman who encountered the dog with a weed whacker.
Questa’s municipal animal code requires animals to be kept within a fenced area or on a leash. Sasser maintains that the dog was on her property at the time of the incident.
Animal abuse resulting in death is a fourth-degree felony in New Mexico and carries a penalty of up to 18 months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
On Wednesday, May 13, Taos District Attorney Marcus Montoya confirmed his office has been in contact with the Questa Police Department since the day of the incident. Later in the week, the District Attorney’s Office confirmed via social media that they were in receipt of the case and are awaiting Questa’s department to finish their investigation to determine if charges in this case are warranted.
Montoya added that video footage is among the most valuable forms of evidence in such cases.
Anyone with video or information related to the incident is urged to contact the Questa Police Department at (575) 586-0787.
We attempted to reach out to the suspected woman who was involved in this incident and her family informed us she was unavailable for comment.
-UPDATE (6/3/25)-
After our publication went to press, we heard from the other party in this case to tell her account of the incident. She said that the day of the incident, she was working in the yard when the dog approached her and nipped her. She pushed the dog away and as it ran at her from the opposite direction, she turned to look and the whacker came in contact with the dog’s leg and cut it.
She said she never intended to hurt the dog and felt remorseful for what occurred. She says she has been doxed online and wants it to stop. She says she has been cooperating with the District Attorney and police through the investigation.
