LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Lake County man is accused of shooting and killing a hunting dog and then stealing her collars, deputies said.

The dog’s owner, Jason McGhee, told deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office that he and his hunting party were in the Ocala National Forest near Deer Haven Community on Saturday and never crossed onto private property, deputies said.

McGhee said they were tracking the dogs and got within 66 yards of Remi, but could not get to her, investigators said. He said he heard the dog barking, then heard several shots fired and the dog stopped barking, deputies said.

McGhee told deputies he got permission from a property owner to find the dog using her GPS collars and later found Remi dead on the national forest property, but her three dog collars had been removed.

The dog collars with GPS…