St. Joseph County man accused of killing his own dog with a hammer

INDIANA -- A St. Joseph County man has been charged with animal cruelty after police say he killed his dog by hitting it in the head with a hammer.

Police were called to the home of 59-year-old George H. Guerrant near the Elbel Golf Course Sunday evening, Oct. 19, by a relative who was concerned about his well-being, according to a report from the Elkhart Truth’s news partner, WNDU.

Officers became concerned for Guerrant’s dog when they found its collar on the living room floor and a wheelbarrow, shovel and garden hoe in the back yard.

Guerrant eventually admitted that he had hit his 14-year-old dog, which had been in poor health, in the head three times with a hammer to kill it.

He said he was distraught over a pending divorce, WNDU reports.

The dog was found buried in the back yard. The Humane Society of St. Joseph County took the dog’s body from the scene to determine its cause of death, according to the report.

Police also spoke with Guerrant’s estranged wife, who said she told Guerrant to take the dog to a veterinarian to be humanely euthanized but he refused.

Guerrant was arrested on a preliminary charge of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor, WNDU reported. He was released from the St. Joseph County Jail on bond Tuesday morning.

(The Elkhart Truth - Oct 22, 2014)