Indiana: Arrests made in case of Great Dane mix named Hank dragged to death

INDIANA -- 8:17 AM FRIDAY UPDATE: The man who is accused of dragging a dog five miles to death behind a truck earlier this week is now in jail.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday night that Brandyn A. Cox, 24, was located and arrested in Mount Vernon, Indiana, just a few hours after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

According to the sheriff’s office, authorities threatened to use a K-9 unit to locate him inside an auto repair shop, but Cox surrendered to law enforcement before the dog was deployed.

The Posey County Sheriff’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department assisted in the arrest, which was made at about 9:30 p.m.

Cox, who is an Evansville resident, is now in the Vanderburgh County jail and is being held there on a $10,000 cash bond.

He faces a total of six charges including four counts relating to alleged animal cruelty.

Charges include aiding, inducing or causing the killing of a domestic animal, two counts of aiding, inducing or causing the torture or mutilation of an animal — all felonies — and one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

The other two charges against Cox, intimidation and attempted interference with the reporting of a crime stem from his alleged actions toward a reported witness who tried to stop Cox from leaving the scene before police arrived.

EARLIER: Authorities in Southern Indiana are planning to arrest the driver of the truck that reportedly had a dog tied to its bumper as it traveled more than five miles earlier this week.

"We have to find him, but he should be arrested soon," Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said Thursday morning.

The incident happened on Tuesday at 7 a.m., according to investigators. The driver of the truck has been identified by the sheriff's office as Brandyn Cox. A warrant has been issued for Cox's arrest, Wedding said at a noon-hour news conference.

Vanderbugh County deputies have already arrested another man, 44-year-old Jamie L. McFarland in connection with the case. McFarland is accused of tying the dog to the truck while Cox was using the bathroom inside McFarland's mobile home in the 5100 block of Old Henderson Road. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on Wednesday evening and faces a preliminary felony charge of torturing or mutilating an animal. McFarland was not in the truck with Cox when several 911 callers spotted the dog's body being dragged behind the truck on Pearl Drive, according to investigators.

Cox denied knowing the dog, a Great Dane mix named Hank, was attached to the truck by a leash during in an interview about the with investigators, according to the sheriff's office

In the probable cause affidavit, investigators wrote that the dog's "entire left side of its body, down to its rib cage, (had been torn) away by road friction," from the 5.3-mile journey from Old Henderson Road to Pearl Drive, where he was confronted by another motorist about the dog. Investigators also said there was a visible blood trail, presumably from the dog as well along the entire route.

According that document, there was another passenger in the truck who went with Cox to drop off McFarland and was with him when he was confronted on Pearl Drive as well. That person told deputies that he did not see he was not aware that the dog, a Great Dane mix named Hank, was attached to the truck.

One caller attempted to stop Cox, according to a sheriff's office deputies, but he allegedly threatened that person, untied the dog and then drove away.

BRAVE HERO:  According to a probable cause affidavit, that caller — identified as a 40-year-old woman — told deputies she honked at Cox and then cut him off in an attempt to get his attention. She said Cox got out of his truck and threatened to kill her after she told him about the dog and tried to take a photograph of the incident, deputies wrote. That woman was able to provide a photo of the truck's license plate and a photo of Cox's arm which bears a distinctive tattoo, according to the affidavit.

RIP Hank

Investigators located Cox later Tuesday and questioned him about the incident. At that time, Cox reportedly denied knowing the dog was tied to the truck. During Cox's description of the incident to deputies, he said McFarland was upset because he found the dog at his residence, and his home was littered with animal feces.

Cox told deputies that when they arrived to the home, they found the dog unattended, supposedly left behind by a friend who was supposed to be house sitting McFarland's residence. That man reportedly told deputies that a relative died on Monday — a day before the incident — and he left the home to take care of family affairs; leaving Hank behind.

The home was littered the dog’s feces, so McFarland allegedly made the statement, “I’m going to [expletive] that dog up! This is unacceptable!” And then allegedly tied Hank to Cox’s truck while he was in the restroom.

After initially claiming he tried to stop Cox from leaving his home with the dog still tied to the truck, McFarland reportedly told investigators said he was"knocked out" from the smell of dog urine, and that was why he did not tell Cox that the dog was tied behind the truck.

Wedding said he did not know what the specific charges against Cox would be, but the report of the incident indicated he could face charges of animal cruelty, intimidation and interference with reporting a crime.

McFarland made an initial appearance in Superior Court on Thursday morning. During that hearing, Judge Robert Pigman set McFarland's bond at $5,000 cash or $50,000 surety.

(IndyStar - May 5, 2016)