Blountsville Police Chief Ray Baxley says the dogs' owner admitted to beating them to death because he didn't want them. The chief says the owner admitted to killing a female dog and her eight puppies.
Baxley says this happened in April 2012 and Robert Pastal King was arrested and indicted on animal cruelty charges in November 2012.
A tip came into the department about the incident and that's how the investigation began. Baxley thinks the dogs were pit bull mixes. Authorities only found three dogs on the property. They say all of them had severe head injuries cause by some type of blunt object.
Baxley says King didn't feel as though he had don't anything wrong because the dogs were his.
"Under Alabama law that's considered animal cruelty. There's more humane ways of putting dogs down. He could of taken them to a shelter. The means he used is where the criminal aspect comes in," Baxley said. "Some people figure it's their property they can do what they want to. They don't look at it as a dog or cat as a pet, just look as piece of property they decide they want to get rid of it they do."
FOX6 News called King's home tonight to try and get his side of the story. A woman answered the phone. She wouldn't say who she was and didn't want to comment on camera. She said the charges against King were "ridiculous."
King is out on bond and awaiting his trial.
(WBRC - Jan 10, 2013)
