Ohio: Police say Stephen Collins II, 19, tortured a puppy by burning it with cigarettes, beat it with a flashlight and threw it down a flight of stairs breaking several bones

OHIO -- A man faces charges of felony animal cruelty after he threw a 3-month-old puppy down a flight of stairs, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.

Stephen Adam Collins II, 19, caused the puppy to break several bones, including her leg and pelvis, investigators said.

She is expected to live, but it’s too early to tell whether her leg will have to be amputated, Butler County Dog Warden Supervisor Kurt Murbs said.

Joseph's Legacy said Collins, threw her down the stairs, beat her with a flashlight and burned her with cigarettes.

 

 

Three-month-old Vally had to have emergency surgery to repair what investigators called "near-fatal injuries."

Middletown police arrested Collins Thursday evening.

“Harming a defenseless animal is heinous, ridiculous and disturbing,” Jones said in a statement.

 

 

The puppy had been so severely abused that Collins’ mother kicked her son out of the house and called rescuers at Joseph's Legacy to help save the puppy.

The puppy had to have emergency surgery at Monroe Family Pet Hospital. She now has several pins and staples in her leg and pelvis, and she is in a foster home until she makes a full recovery.

EARLIER:
Ohio: Puppy thrown down stairs, burned with cigarettes begins to recover

OHIO -- When Judith Reinhart met Vally, a five-month-old mutt with a black button nose and permanently perky ears, the puppy had a broken pelvis, a broken leg and a coat polka-dotted with cigarette burns.

She had been abused so severely by her 19-year-old owner that the man's mother called rescuers at Joseph's Legacy to take her out of the home.

"When I got there, I found out that she had been thrown down a flight of stairs by her own," Reinhart said. "She was beat on the head with a flashlight."

All for having an accident in the house.

Reinhart rushed Vally to Monroe Family Pet Hospital, where she received surgery to repair her broken bones.

The little dog still had a long physical recovery ahead Wednesday night, Reinhart said, but was already beginning to come out of her shell. In a safe environment, Vally is as sweet, curious and energetic as any other puppy.

Vally got pins in her legs and now lives with a foster mother.

“Here she is, in so much pain. And she's still just so beautiful. And she's just so happy to see, to love a human,” Judy Reinhart, adoption coordinator, said.

(WCPO - February 8, 2018)

Mississippi: Billy Swain wants you to believe he wasn't beating his dog with a flashlight, that he was merely hitting the seat NEXT to the dog

MISSISSIPPI -- A Gulfport man is defending himself against allegations that he beat his dog, after his daughter-in-law posted surveillance video of the alleged beating on social media.

The post went viral, and Billy Swain was charged with animal cruelty.

But Swain said what people think they saw in that video just isn't so.

 "It looks bad, really it does, but I didn't hit my dog," Swain said. "Me and him live together. He wakes me up every morning in the day light, he throws his feet up and licks me, and we get up and start our day together."

Swain said he was disciplining his dog by hitting the seat near him in his truck. We stopped by Billy Swain's home Tuesday, and his dog, Albert, appeared to be happy and healthy.

So what? Can children who are regularly beaten by their parents appear to be "happy and healthy" in front of social workers?

"He didn't want to go in because he wanted to go play with other dogs. So I forced him in there, went around on the other side, and I was beating the seat, not him. And everybody thinks I was hitting my dog."

Animal Control Officer Candice Woods said after reviewing the footage, and checking out Swain's dog at his home, they found no signs of [obvious] abuse and did not seize Albert.

"You can't see him hitting the dog, you don't know if he is or not," Woods said.

Meanwhile, Reaghan Swain said she wants justice for the dog.

"She's saying that he was hitting the dog, and her 11-year-old son was crying and upset about it, and this is not the first time," Woods noted.

Officer Woods said there was a warrant out for Swain's arrest, but he turned himself in to Biloxi Police. He was released on his own recognizance, and the rest is for a judge to decide.

Swain's court date for an animal cruelty charge is set for February 6.

We reached out to Reaghan Swain's lawyer for a comment, but haven't heard back yet. We will update this story if a comment becomes available.

BILLY SWAIN SAYS HE WASN'T BEATING HIS DOG; THAT HE WAS BEATING THE FLASHLIGHT AGAINST THE SEAT OF THE PICKUP TRUCK WHERE HIS DOG WAS SITTING. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

(WLOX - Dec 14, 2016)

Earlier:

• Mississippi: "I think he just killed Albert," 11-year-old said to his mom after seeing his grandfather beat dog with a flashlight
• Mississippi: Biloxi police make arrest in dog-abuse case; Billy Swain charged with animal cruelty

Mississippi: Biloxi police make arrest in dog-abuse case; Billy Swain charged with animal cruelty

MISSISSIPPI -- A man Biloxi police say abused a dog has turned himself in to authorities.

A warrant for the arrest of Billy Swain was issued Monday after a video went viral in South Mississippi, garnering 44,000 views, along with 555 comments and 1,089 shares.

Police Chief John Miller said Billy Swain turned himself in at 6:30 a.m. Monday. He was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. His court date is set for Feb. 6.

The video, which was recorded on the home surveillance system at Reaghan Swain’s house, shows the man, whom she identified as her father-in-law, Billy Swain, putting the dog in the cab of a truck.



Billy Swain then walks to the driver side of the truck, opens the door and appears to punch something repeatedly. He then gets in the truck and slams an object down — Reaghan Swain said it was a flashlight her son had gotten his grandfather as a gift — several times.
The Biloxi Police Department later announced animal-control officers signed an affidavit for animal cruelty against Billy Swain.

Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor offense in Mississippi. -- the same level of crime as smashing someone's mailbox.

(Sun Herald - Dec 13, 2016)

Earlier:

• Mississippi: "I think he just killed Albert," 11-year-old said to his mom after seeing his grandfather beat dog with a flashlight

Mississippi: "I think he just killed Albert," 11-year-old said to his mom after seeing his grandfather beat dog with a flashlight

MISSISSIPPI -- A Biloxi woman is desperate to protect her father-in-law’s dog, so she posted a video to Facebook that appears to show the man beating the dog, in the hope it would help.

As of Monday afternoon that video, posted Saturday, had gone viral in South Mississippi, garnering 44,000 views, along with 555 comments and 1,089 shares.

It also has led to an arrest warrant for the man accused of abusing Albert, a 1-year-old dog.

The video, which was recorded on the home surveillance system at Reaghan Swain’s house, shows the man, whom she identified as her father-in-law, Billy Swain, putting the dog in the cab of a truck.

She said her 11-year-old son had asked him to move the dog from the back of the truck to the cab because of the cold weather.

Billy Swain was dropping off Reaghan Swain’s son Friday night after going hunting together.

Billy Swain then walks around to the other side of the truck, opens the driver-side door and appears to punch something repeatedly. He then gets in the truck and slams an object down — Swain said it was a flashlight her son had gotten his grandfather as a gift — several times.

The video never explicitly shows him hitting the dog, but Reaghan Swain said her son ran inside to tell them what had happened. He repeatedly told his grandfather to stop and tried to pull him off the dog, Reaghan Swain said. The boy said Albert was yelping and whimpering.

When he ran inside, Reaghan Swain said her son said, “I think he just killed Albert. Albert’s not moving.”

“We didn’t know what to say . . . For him to do that in our driveway, in front of our 11-year-old son to that poor dog,” Reaghan Swain said.

Swain called the police and showed them the video.

Biloxi Police Capt. Harold Windham said Monday afternoon a warrant was signed for misdemeanor animal cruelty. The dog was examined by a veterinarian and found to not have permanent injuries.

The Biloxi Police Department later announced that, based upon an investigation into the animal cruelty, animal control officers signed an affidavit for animal cruelty and will be making an arrest.

Even if Swain is convicted, Albert would not automatically be taken away from him, unless a judge signs a seizure order.



In an interview, Swain insists that he loves this dog and would never abuse it. He swears that he wasn't beating Albert with the flashlight. He says he was beating the flashlight against the seat of the pickup truck. Seriously. That's his defense. He'd better come up with a better one before court.

(Sun Herald - Dec 12, 2016)

Justin Niederhelman charged with beating his dad's Dachshund to death with a flashlight, hiding body in dog food bag

FLORIDA -- A Brooksville, Florida man was charged with fatally beating his family's small dog and then hiding the gruesome crime by putting the body in a dog food bag.

WSTP News reported yesterday that Justin Niederhelman, 23, allegedly killed his father's dachshund after beating it in the head with a flashlight.

Bay 9 News reported yesterday that Niederhelman faces one count of animal cruelty in addition to violating his pre-trial release for a July 21 arrest for felony domestic violence that involved his father.

Niederhelman was prohibited from having any contact with his father, Thomas Niederhelman, as a condition of his release.

According to Real News Real Fast, Justin Niederhelman admitted to his father that he repeatedly struck the dachshund in the head with a flashlight. Hernando County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call late on Thursday night, arriving at the home on High Corner Road at 11:00 p.m. The sheriff's office investigated the death of the 7-year-old dog, who was an apparent victim of this family feud.

According to Thomas Niederhelman, his son struck the dog in the head with a flashlight, wrapped the dog in a blanket, placed it in a dog food bag, and then took the bag outside. Justin Niederhelman denied being at the residence or being involved with the dog's death, but his mother, Mary Niederhelman, refuted this, stating that her son had been at the home that day.

Animals are often an "easy target" during incidents of domestic violence. According to the American Humane Association, 71% of women who were entering women's shelters reported that their abuser had committed a violent act - or even killed - one of their animals.

Numerous studies have shown an established correlation between animal abuse and crimes against human victims. According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), those who commit violent crimes against nonhuman animals are more likely to commit violent crimes against humans than those who don't hurt animals.

The Animal Law Center found that "people who commit acts of cruelty towards animals rarely stop there. Murderers and people who abuse their spouse or children had frequently harmed animals in the past."

Justin Niederhelman is currently being held without bond at the Hernando County Detention Facility. Jail records did not indicate an attorney for him at this time.

(Examiner.com - Aug 15, 2015)

California: Man Shoots Pit Bulls That Attacked Horse, Rider

CALIFORNIA -- A 24-year-old man shot at two pit bulls, killing one, as the dogs attacked a woman and her horse on a San Dimas equestrian trail on Saturday, police said.

The equestrian, identified as Yvette Picconi, 47, was riding her horse, Mecca, on a trail near the San Dimas Equestrian Center when dogs got loose from either a residence or a pit bull dog rescue facility, officials said.


What does that mean? They think the dogs escaped from a pit bull rescue facility???? Why would anyone say that unless they had an idea that that's where the dogs came from?

Picconi suffered minor scrapes in the attack that happened near Foothill Boulevard and Walnut Avenue just before 9 a.m., officials said. The woman's horse suffered a 10-inch gash on its leg.

“She's distraught, horribly distraught,” said Shelley Kresan of her friend Picconi. “After the first bite, the horse tried to run off. And the horse collapsed with my friend still on the back of the horse ...”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said a neighbor who saw the attack tried to beat the dogs off using a flashlight.

The man called for help when one of the dogs latched onto the horse and locked down on its leg.

A relative of that person, identified as John Eichler, 24, of San Dimas, used a rifle to shoot the dog, killing it, said Lt. David Vega, of the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

“They had to shoot him several times to get him to stop,” Vega said, adding that no arrests were made.

Kresan said she believes the man’s quick action saved her friend’s life.

“It could've been a lot worse,” Kresan said.

Officials said the other dog was taken by animal control officers, who will decide whether to cite or charge the dogs’ owners. The dogs may have come from a yard of a residence or a pit bull rescue, officials said.

Again, why are they saying this? That the dogs "may have come from a pit bull rescue"? This tells me that that is EXACTLY WHERE THEY CAME FROM - and they just don't want to say it. 

(nbclosangeles - Feb 23, 2013)