Sentencing set in Muncie animal cruelty case

INDIANA -- A Muncie felon with a history of local dog-related problems has been found guilty of cruelty to a 20-pound pit bull.

John W. Ewing, 37, 320 S. Beacon St., was convicted in Muncie City Court on Aug. 27 with cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor. Sentencing in this case has been set for Oct. 29.

According to a Muncie Police Department case report, police in May were dispatched to the Muncie Area Career Center, 2500 N. Elgin St., in reference to a “suspicious subject on the track.” When they arrived, officers observed a man later identified as Ewing walking a dog pulling “a sled” around the track.

That sled, officers later determined, contained a six- to seven-foot-long chain “with a (10-) pound weight, which was attached to a thick harness” that, in total, weighed about 20 pounds.

“The dog itself barely weighed that much, and was clearly exhausted from having to pull the weight around the track,” Muncie police officer Kyle Temple wrote. “The dog was very thin, and appeared to be under(fed).”

Approached by officers, Ewing — who was “very upset, angry and wanted to walk away immediately” — said he “was just out walking his dog,” according to the report. The dog was taken into the custody of Muncie animal control officials.

Ewing’s animal cruelty conviction wasn’t the first time he’s faced dog-related problems in Muncie.

In June 2012, the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals voted 5-0 to deny a zoning variance to Ewing, who was operating an illegal pit bull kennel in the backyard of his South Beacon Street home.

Ewing was not suspected of neglecting the dogs, but the BZA ruled that locating a dog kennel in the historic East Central residential district was cruel to neighbors due to frequent barking.

Ewing’s South Beacon Street home was also heavily damaged by flames Sept. 17. During that fire, city firefighters were able to pull seven puppies and a mother dog from the burning home.

The puppies survived the blaze; their mother, however, died at the scene.

Rob Mead, chief investigator with the Muncie Fire Department, said Friday the cause of that blaze remains under investigation.

Ewing, a convicted felon, has served prison time for convictions that include robbery (1996), possession of cocaine (2000) and possession of a controlled substance (2000).

He was most recently released from prison in October 2011, according to state Department of Correction records.

(The Star Press - Sept 30, 2013)