Reward offered in area dog’s death

BY KIPP HANLEY
For the Stafford County Sun
Published: November 19, 2008

WOODBRIDGE — The sight of her dog’s water bowl is so upsetting to Cynthia Liberta that she can’t even go down to her basement.

On the evening of Nov. 6, Liberta was taking her Shih Tzu, Rex, to the Minnieville Animal Hospital in Woodbridge when he broke free from her grip on the leash and bolted across Minnieville Road.

According to Liberta, several cars stopped, but one didn’t. The car in the left lane struck Rex, killing him almost instantly.

The woman driving the vehicle briefly got out and then sped away, leaving Liberta flabbergasted.

Liberta rushed across the street after the incident and scooped up Rex, who was already dead.

“I still have the image in my head,“ Liberta said, choking back tears during a phone interview.

Liberta was taking her 4-year-old dog into the animal hospital for routine shots when the accident occurred. Liberta and her husband, Anthony, who is serving in Iraq, are offering a $500 reward for anyone who can provide information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the driver who hit the dog and fled.

Prince William police say the motorist could face a hit-and-run charge for destroying personal property, or an animal cruelty charge for leaving the scene.

The only information Liberta could supply about the accident was that the car that struck Rex was a blue, four-door sedan operated by a black woman.

Anthony said he didn’t think to file a criminal complaint when he first informed the police of the matter. The couple didn’t understand how someone could hit a dog and then flee the scene.

“I don’t even hit dogs in my 40,000-pound vehicle while I drive around in Baghdad,“ said An-thony in an e-mail on Monday.

“She knows she hit him and she saw me,“ Liberta added.

Anthony is returning later this month and said he was looking forward to seeing Rex after eight months overseas. Luckily, Liberta’s 7-year-old stepson Jonathan was visiting his father in New York and doesn’t know about the accident yet, said Liberta.

“Someone had to see this occur,“ Anthony said.

Kipp Hanley is a staff writer at the News & Messenger.