Published: Wednesday, March 16, 1994
Section: LOCAL
Page: 3B
A doctor accused of chasing with a gun the man who shoved his dog into Biscayne Bay pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Tuesday and was placed on one year of probation.
Dr. Manuel Hernandez, chief of the pulmonary division at Mercy Hospital, chased his neighbor Neal McCool with a .357 magnum after McCool shoved his dog into the bay Aug. 24, police said. Hernandez fired one shot into the air, McCool said.
The men, both dog owners who live in affluent Gables Estates, had tangled before. McCool said Hernandez's Akitas, named Cinnabar and White Box, had killed the puppies of his Rottweilers Bonnie and Clyde the year before.
When Cinnabar came nosing around the property again, McCool shoved him into the bay with a rake. Hernandez reacted by getting the gun and chasing him, McCool said.
"This is not an admission of guilt," defense attorney Miguel de la O said of the plea. Judge Rodolfo Sorondo also said Hernandez must attend a court-approved course on how to control his temper.