MANKATO — A Blue Earth County District Court judge has granted a Mankato man’s request to postpone the start date of his 90-day jail sentence after being convicted in the 2024 fatal shooting of a neighbor’s dog.
The amended order grants Rodney Wayne Lyon, 44, his request to extend his jail report date from July 7 to Aug. 1. The amended order, filed Monday, leaves all other terms of the sentence unchanged.
The case stems from the March 30, 2024, fatal shooting of a neighbor’s dog in South Bend Township. Prosecutors alleged Lyon, a postal carrier, was connected to threatening handwritten notes left for dog owners in the area and investigators recovered a shotgun from his residence after obtaining an extreme risk protection order, according to court records. Lyon admitted writing the notes but denied shooting the dog.
Lyon sought the delay in his jail sentence because of employment-related proceedings involving the U.S. Postal Service following the court’s sentencing order, according to the request made in a letter filed by Lyon’s attorney.
According to the defense filing, Lyon, a U.S. Postal Service employee and union member, was suspended after the court imposed executed jail time and was told an internal investigation could take approximately two months. The filing states Lyon believed he would be permitted to continue working during that period because the court had authorized work release as part of his sentence.
Requiring Lyon to report to jail before the employment matter was resolved could result in the loss of his job or the completion of his jail sentence before the Postal Service completed its review, the defense filing argues. Lyon had reportedly contacted his union steward regarding the employment dispute and that the U.S. Postal Service had previously been ordered to provide him back pay in two separate employment matters involving procedural violations.
As Lyon had complied with court orders while the criminal case was pending, the amendment was granted. Under the June 23 sentencing order, Lyon received a stay of imposition and was placed on three years of probation. Court records show that if he successfully completes probation, the felony conviction may be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Lyon was sentenced after pleading guilty by Alford plea to one felony count of animal torture and one gross misdemeanor count of harassment, according to court records.