Two men face felony cruelty charges in Sherman dog case

Two men have been charged with felonies in Grayson County district courts over an animal-cruelty case in Sherman, according to the county's official judicial-records index. The index shows both cases were filed July 15, 2026, each carrying the charge of cruelty to a non-livestock animal causing death, poisoning, or serious bodily injury.

The index identifies the men as Thomas Christopher Bush, whose case number is 080280 in the 15th District Court, and Gary Robin Larkins II, case 080296 in the 59th District Court. Each charge is docketed as its own adult felony case before a different judge. Entries of this kind record charges that prosecutors have filed and are not findings of guilt.

The events behind the filings date to the spring. In a public statement, Sherman police said officers were sent on March 29, 2026 to a report that a dog had been shot with a pellet gun. The department said two people were found with the injured dog and named them as Gary Larkins and Thomas Bush. Both men, according to that same police account, told officers they had been trying to euthanize the animal. The department released its account roughly three and a half months before the felony cases appeared in the county index.

The offense named in the index is defined in Section 42.092 of the Texas Penal Code. Under that section, cruelly killing a non-livestock animal, or causing one serious bodily injury, is a third-degree felony.

Sherman's municipal code addresses similar conduct on a track separate from state prosecution. The city's animal ordinance, as amended by Ordinance 6416 adopted September 20, 2021, makes it unlawful to wound an animal, to maim or cripple one, or to kill one by inhumane means. That ordinance also gives the city authority to seize an animal that is being treated cruelly, a remedy the city can pursue independently of any criminal charge.

Sherman and Grayson County publish their own procedures for people who need to turn an animal over to a shelter. The city's animal-services FAQ says Sherman residents are not charged a fee to bring in an animal, and it directs residents of rural parts of Grayson County to contact county animal control. The county's surrender form states that an animal given up becomes county property. The form adds that staff may euthanize a surrendered animal immediately if they judge that step necessary, and it makes no promise that the animal will be offered for adoption.