Vernon Slater said the dog named Buttons had a tumor that suddenly ruptured on Monday.
“It upset me real bad that I had to put her down,” Slater said. “In my opinion, I did nothing wrong. I did the most humane thing I could have done.”
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| Vernon Slater, who lives on Andrews Lake Road near Felton, said today he killed a small dog earlier this week because she was very ill. JAMES FISHER/THE NEWS JOURNAL |
Animal control officers reported this morning the dog was beaten to death with a baseball bat and buried in a yard in the 2200 block of Andrews Lake Road near Felton.
Slater, 48, of the 2300 block of Andrews Lake Road, was charged with felony cruelty to animals.
A neighbor, Peter Beddia, 25, of the 2200 block, was charged with felony conspiracy. The dog was allegedly killed and buried on the property where Beddia lives.
The dog, according to court records, belonged to the mother of Beddia’s girlfriend. No motive or reason for the killing was given in the court records.
Maj. Brian Whipple of Kent County SPCA said the dog was killed Monday and the incident reported to officials on Tuesday.
After an investigation, Slater, who lives two doors from where the dog was killed, and Beddia were arrested on Wednesday by animal control officers and state police.
The dog was described as a Yorkshire Terrier/Pomeranian mix.
The female dog had been put in a ‘freshly dug hole’ covered by a concrete block, according to the records. The dog’s body “was observed to have blood coming from said canine ears and mouth. The head of the canine appeared to have been crushed.”
The affidavit of probable cause says Slater admitted he beat the dog with a bat, and says Beddia admitted knowing Slater would do it, and that Beddia helped bury the dog.
Slater was released on $5,000 unsecured bond and ordered to not own or obtain any animals until the case has been adjudicated, Whipple said.
Bedia also was released on $5,000 unsecured bond.
(The News Journal - May 31, 2013)
