Thanksgiving at Grandma's

Cops: Neighbor misses dog, shoots woman
Associated Press
November 23, 2007

WADESVILLE, Ind. -- A woman who was chasing her dog was fatally shot by a neighbor after the dog ran through the neighbor's property, police said.

Posey County Sheriff James Folz said Melinda Lindauer apparently was trying to shoot the dog, which had ventured on her property near Wadesville, about 15 miles northwest of Evansville. Instead, the bullet struck 29-year-old Nicole Stroud, who was visiting her grandmother's home Thursday.

Stroud was pronounced dead at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. Deputies arrested Lindauer on preliminary charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide. She was being held in the Posey County Jail Friday. No court date had been set.

When deputies arrived at the shooting, they found Stroud in the backyard, surrounded by onlookers as volunteer firefighters performed CPR.

"It was just a really bad scene," Folz said.

Posey County deputies detained and questioned the suspect and her husband, Lonnie Lindauer. Deputies said they found a handgun on a bed in the couple's bedroom.

The Lindauers live directly behind Stroud's grandmother.

Folz said there's no evidence Lindauer was shooting at Stroud, but the investigation continues.

WADESVILLE, Ind. — A woman who was fatally shot Thursday while trying to coax her dog from a neighbor’s yard was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off the ground and under a plastic fence before striking her shoulder.


The bullet from a .357-caliber Magnum pierced both the lungs and heart of Nicole Stroud, 29, Vanderburgh County Coroner Don Erk said. The Evansville woman was leaning down, trying to get her Shih Tzu dog out of a neighbor’s yard and through a hole in the bottom of a fence when she was shot.

The neighbor accused of firing the gun, Melinda Lindauer, 41, was arrested on preliminary charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide. She was still being held in Posey County Jail on Saturday.

Posey County Prosecutor Jodi Uebelhack said she believes Lindauer fired from a back window of her house at a dog that was loose from a neighboring house, where Stroud was visiting her grandmother.

The Lindauers live directly behind Stroud’s grandmother. Wadesville is about 15 miles northwest of Evansville.

The prosecutor said Lindauer might not have seen Stroud and probably didn’t intend to kill her, but criminal charges still were warranted. Indiana law states that a person can only fire a gun at a dog if it is threatening an individual or livestock.

“After we got all the statements, it was pretty clear this was a criminal act,” Uebelhack said. “It’s never an accident to pick up a gun and shoot it.”

Uebelhack said a statement given to police by Lindauer’s husband, Lonnie, indicated that there was an ongoing dispute between the neighbors over the dog. She said he told authorities the dog had previously dug up a cat that was buried in the Lindauer’s backyard.

Melinda Lindauer’s attorney, Nick Hermann, said he could not comment on the specifics of the case. But he said that the Lindauers are distraught over what happened.

“Their thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the lady who died in this incident,” he said.