SKOWHEGAN – The two teen-agers accused of shooting a pair of horses in Pittsfield last November will go on trial Monday afternoon in Skowhegan District Court.

Somerset County Assistant District Attorney Paul Rucha said Friday that he has not filed a motion to have the boys tried as adults. He could give no estimate for the length of the trial. If convicted of the five charges against them, both boys could be sentenced to a juvenile facility until they turn 21 years old.

Corey J. Cook, 16, of Pittsfield and Andrew Johansmeier, 17, of Waterville are accused of shooting to death an 8-year-old quarter horse, Rocket, and fatally wounding a 12-year-old Standardbred horse, Have At It, while the horses grazed in a pasture on Nov. 25.

The boys reportedly told police they were hunting birds when they shot the horses, the fuel tank of a tractor-trailer truck passing by on nearby Interstate 95, and various railroad signs.

They are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal mischief with a firearm, cruelty to an animal with the use of a firearm, reckless conduct with a firearm – all Class C felonies; aggravated criminal mischief with a firearm – a Class B felony; and the misdemeanor charge of shooting a domestic animal.

The teen-agers have been held at the Northern Maine Juvenile Center in Charleston since a Dec. 4 detention hearing before Judge James MacMichael at Skowhegan District Court.

The horses belonged to Pamela Pelotte and Dr. Tim Powers, a Pittsfield veterinarian, and their killing sparked outrage among animal owners across the country.

A caravan seeking stern punishment for the boys was held on Dec. 9, beginning at the site of the horses’ shooting and ending at the Somerset County Courthouse in Skowhegan. More than 100 vehicles and horse trailers participated.

The outrage also was expressed in frustration regarding Maine’s animals laws, and several new bills proposed for this session of the Legislature have to do with stiffer penalties for animal abuse.

Pelotte said after the boys’ arraignment on Jan. 3 that she expected animal lovers and others angry over the shootings to show up at their trial Monday in a quiet vigil. The trial is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. before Judge MacMichael.