Tennessee: Mexican illegal aliens Luis Mendoza, Francisco Flores and Hector Mendoza found in bathroom beating, torturing and stabbing dog

TENNESSEE -- A Greene County dog is back with its owner after officers say they found it being stabbed and beaten by three men in an apartment Sunday.

 

Luis Hernandez Mendoza, 23; Francisco Pultarco Flores, 34; and Hector C. Mendoza, 25, are each charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

The defendants are all described in sheriff's department complaints as "contract laborers [who are in the country illegally]."

The owner of the seven-year-old German shepherd, named “Smokey,” said he was spooked by a sudden thunderstorm, jumped a fence and ran off. He ended up a quarter-mile away in the 7900 block of Asheville Highway where the three men found him.

 

The dog's owner had no idea her precious Smokey was being tortured as she was out looking for the missing pup.

Police were initially called to the apartment on a drunk and disorderly conduct call. When they got there, they say they found Francisco Flores, Hector Mendoza and Luis Mendoza covered in blood.

 

"The bathroom door was open. There were three men in the bathroom with the dog and they were holding a bloody knife and a bloody stick," Amy Bowman, Manager at the Greene County Humane Society said.

Smokey had several cuts and punctures to his body. He had been beaten, stabbed repeatedly in the face, neck and body while trapped in the bathroom with the three men. 

Blood was all over the floor of the apartment’s bathroom, one of the men was holding a bloody knife and another was holding a long wooden stick [with a knife attached to the end].

 

 

All three men were taken into custody.

Darnell says she and her husband are still in shock, and can't believe anyone would hurt a defenseless animal, her Smokey.

"As far as I understand they had him chained up and one of them was beating him and one of them had a knife and was stabbing him and the third one had a stick and was stabbing him," Darnell said.

“I think they’re terrible excuses for human beings. They’re evil,” said Smokey’s owner Elaine Darnell.

 

 

The dog underwent surgery Monday at Greene County Veterinary Hospital. Friends of Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society posted on Facebook that Smokey had multiple stab wounds to his face, head and neck. He had also been beaten.

Smokey is expected to make a full recovery. He had a collar but no identification, but Darnell said a friend saw his photo on the Greene County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page and contacted her.

 

“Hopefully the district attorney will prosecute them to the maximum,” she said.

Donations to help pay for Smokey’s veterinary care can be sent to:

Greene County Veterinary Animal Hospital
“Smokey”247 Baileyton Road
Greeneville, TN  37745

 

Update: Additional charges were filed against the three men. On top of felony aggravated animal cruelty charges, they've also each been charged with vandalism and theft. Bond for each is now set at $17,000 and they’re to return to court Aug. 31st.

(NBC4 - Aug 19, 2016)