Ohio: Former Sheriff's Deputy Robert Roberts charged with animal cruelty, domestic violence

OHIO -- On January 24th, detectives were given a video showing Robbie Roberts, 45, of Lansing assaulting a woman and a dog. Officials say the incident happened on January 20th.

Prosecutor Dan Fry says you can see the man beating someone with a belt. At times, he says, you can hear the man saying he doesn't care if she is videoing it. The dog then tried to protect the woman.

"He knew that she was [recording] him. And yes they were verbally arguing as he was striking her with the belt. 

"She was never on camera but you could see him swinging in her direction with the belt. Threatening, making life threatening comments to her, and at one point the dog intervened, and he was striking the dog with the belt also," said Fry.

According to a press release, detectives immediately contacted the Belmont County Prosecutor's Office, who then began the process of obtaining an arrest warrant.

An arrest warrant was issued early Friday for Roberts, charging him with Domestic Violence and Cruelty to Animals.

On Monday, Roberts reportedly contacted Sheriff Lucas and made arrangements to turn himself in.

Roberts was employed by the Belmont County Sheriff's Office from July 2003 to April 2009 under a previous administration.

"He was a deputy under a previous administration. Like all the other warrants we get, when we obtained the warrant it was give to our whole patrol division and the patrol division over the whole weekend looked at residents, went and talked to people, and tried to locate Mr. Roberts. And today Mr. Roberts contacted me and turned himself in," said Sheriff Dave Lucas.

Sheriff Lucas says he will not disclose anything about the woman's injuries, or the dog's.

Sheriff Lucas also says he will not release the video to the public, saying it's evidence to the case.

Roberts has been arrested and is now in the Belmont County Jail. He is currently being held without bond while awaiting arraignment.

ARREST INFORMATION:
Full Name: Robert A Roberts
Date:01/29/2018
Arresting Agency: BELMONT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Arrest Age:45
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthdate: 05/11/1972
County: Belmont County, Ohio
Charges
#1 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
STATUTE: 2919.25(A) ( M1)
NOTES: NO BAIL

#2 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
STATUTE: 959.13 ( M2)
NOTES: NO BAIL

(WTRF - January 29, 2018)

Pennsylvania: Anthony King beat and tortured his pit bull. Then police arrived and got some justice by tasing and pepper spraying King - and charging him with animal cruelty

PENNSYLVANIA -- A Hazleton man who beat his dog repeatedly resisted arrest when police took him into custody, court records say.

Anthony H. King, 23, faces four counts simple assault, two counts each disorderly conduct and animal cruelty and one count each resisting arrest and false identification to law enforcement.

He was arraigned Friday by Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker, Nanticoke, who set bail at 10 percent of $50,000. Unable to immediately post the money, King was taken to jail.

He was taken into custody, arrest papers state, after repeatedly resisting officers’ commands and pulling away from them while they attempted to detain him at 534 Seybert St., on Thursday around 8 p.m.

The struggle King put up with police resulted in additional officers responding, but they — and pepper spray — didn’t stop him from trying to get away from officers, court papers state, so a conducted electrical weapon, known by the brand name Taser, was deployed upon him and he was placed in handcuffs.

King denied harming the dog when police responded to the Seybert Street home, stating that he was only giving the dog a bath. But at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton while waiting with police to have the Taser probes removed and to be decontaminated from the pepper spray by medical staff, he admitted to beating the dog, arrest papers state, claiming it was his right.

He said he poured hot water over the dog’s face and in her eyes, according to officers.

Police said they responded to the address after receiving multiple reports from the public about a person beating a dog with a belt.

King initially refused to give officers his name when they arrived to investigate the claim, court papers state, and the dog, a brown pit bull named “Queen,” was found by police shaking and drooling in a submissive position, looking fearful.

Witnesses also told police they saw King hit the dog with a metal bucket and yank the dog by its choker chain and leash to the point where the dog’s legs were off the ground for over 30 seconds. Witnesses also saw him hitting the dog with a belt, police wrote.

Two police officers sustained minor injuries as they took King into custody, according to court records.

The dog was taken to the Hazleton Animal Shelter, which arranged for her to receive medical care.

(Standard Speaker - July 7, 2016)

New York: Convicted killer Wilfredo Arroyo, 36, arrested for beating dog and trying to stab Good Samaritan

NEW YORK -- A convicted killer has been arrested for allegedly abusing a dog before slashing a passerby who attempted to intervene, reports said.

Wilfredo Arroyo, 36, was detained Wednesday morning, according to Staten Island Live, and charged with  assault, criminal possession of a weapon, aggravated cruelty to animals, torture, injury or not feeding an animal and menacing.

 

According to police, a 32-year-old man attempted to stop Arroyo from beating the brown and white dog with a belt in front of 860 Targee St. on May 24   at around 6:40pm.

Arroyo’s wife, Esther Arroyo, stuck up for her man Wednesday night. The 7-month-old pit bull named Blue bit him, she said, “and he had to give him a spanking.”

As for the man Arroyo is accused of stabbing, she told the Daily News, “Wilfredo told me he came from behind him and said, ‘You’re an abuser. What the hell are you doing?’ and slapped him in the ear with a rock. The way I see it, it’s self-defense.”

How nice. A lady who stands up for her man. A convicted killer and apparent animal abuser. 

The victim was unsuccessful and received a laceration in his eye caused by the perpetrator when he slashed the 32-year-old in the face with a knife, police said.

This was not the first time Arroyo had been arrested for violent attacks. After pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 2004 for murdering Miguel Santiago, the Latin Kings gang member was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, but was released with parole in November of 2014, according to public records.

Santiago, also a member of the Latin Kings gang, was found nearly naked on Oct. 18, 2001 with a bruised, slashed and stabbed body.

Arroyo claims he killed his fellow member for breaking gang code, although what specifically was done has yet to be revealed. Santiago agreed to be punished with a three-minute beat down, Staten Island Live reported, but the felon killed him instead by stabbing him with a knife.

(Metro US - June 23, 2016)

Earlier:

• New York: NYPD needs help identifying scumbag who beat dog and attacked Good Samaritan

New York: NYPD needs help identifying scumbag who beat dog and attacked Good Samaritan

NEW YORK -- The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two males in connection with an assault and animal cruelty that occurred within Staten Island’s 120 Precinct. The details are as follows.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 6:40 p.m., in front of 860 Targee Street, a 32-year-old observed individual #1 punching, kicking and striking a dog several times with a belt.

 

The victim went to intervene and individual #1 attacked the Good Samaritan.

During the fight, individual #1 pulled out a knife and slashed the victim above his eye causing a laceration. The male then fled on foot towards Park Hill.

 

Individual #1 is described as a white or light-skinned male who was last seen wearing a white tank top, black jeans and wearing a black and gold hat.

Individual #2 is described as a male Hispanic, long black ponytail, white tee shirt and holding a white dog on a leash.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

(NYPD News - June 19, 2016)

Dog euthanized after attack that left mother, son hospitalized

FLORIDA -- A 2-year-old Cane Corso - pit bull mix was euthanized Wednesday — 11 days after, authorities say, the dog bit a mother and son while running loose in a neighborhood west of Fort Lauderdale.

The dog, named Kane, was surrendered by his owner to Broward County Animal Care and Adoption and euthanized Wednesday morning at the owner's request, said Lisa Mendheim, the agency's spokeswoman.

Kane was held for 10 days at a county shelter in Fort Lauderdale and monitored for possible rabies after he bit Gracieuse Jean-Baptiste, 35, and her 9-year-old son, Shamar Jean-Baptiste, on March 28 in the 1800 block of Southwest 43rd Avenue.

Mother and son were hospitalized following the afternoon attack. Updates on their conditions were not available Wednesday.

The shelter determined Kane did not have rabies, but it cannot take in a dog that has bitten someone, Mendheim said.

"Play biting is one thing, but these were severe injuries," she said. "These people were hospitalized. From a public safety standpoint, we cannot adopt a dog that has done that."

The dog's owner, Enrique Rivera, was cited for not registering the dog in Broward County and not having a current rabies vaccination.

"It's an unfortunate thing," Mendheim said. "People have to be responsible for their pets."

Broward County law requires dogs and cats to wear an official Broward County rabies registration tag, according to the agency's website. Owners cannot purchase tags until their pets are vaccinated against rabies.

For more information about vaccinations and pet care, visit the Broward County Animal Care and Adoption website at http://www.broward.org/animal.

(Sun Sentinel - April 8, 2015)

Earlier:

• Pit bull mix attacks boy near Lauderdale; child's family, neighbor help save him

Pit bull mix attacks boy near Lauderdale; child's family, neighbor help save him

FLORIDA -- When a dog pounced on a boy and began biting him, the child's relatives and a neighbor rushed to the boy's aid, witnesses say.

They beat the dog with a skateboard, broom and belt — anything they could find — to stop the animal Saturday afternoon. Yet the canine was difficult to fend off. The attack sent the boy and an adult relative, both of whom suffered bite wounds, to the hospital.

A woman cries after a dog was confiscated by Broward animal control
 officials on Saturday. The woman declined to provide her name. Neighbors
say the dog was responsible for an attack that sent a boy and
an adult to the hospital. (Adam Sacasa, Sun Sentinel)

 

"The dog just kept going back to the kid and attacking the kid," said Larry Szpyra, 64, a neighbor who heard the screams and witnessed the attack. "Just a nasty situation."

It happened about 3 p.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Southwest 43rd Avenue in Broadview Park, an unincorporated neighborhood west of Fort Lauderdale.

The names of the dog-bite victims haven't been released, so their latest conditions were unavailable. Neighbors said the boy is about 9 or 10 years old.

"The adult sustained more serious injuries than the child," said Mike Jachles, a spokesman for Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.

Szpyra lives across the street from where the attack happened. He saw the dog dart down the road and head straight for a boy riding his bike in his driveway, he said.

"No provocation whatsoever," Szpyra said. "[The dog] just attacked the little boy and jumped on his back. I don't know how badly he was bitten but he started screaming."

The boy's sister grabbed a skateboard and started hitting the dog, trying to stop the attack, Szpyra said. A woman, believed by neighbors to be the boy's mother, used a broom handle to also hit the animal.

Their efforts weren't enough. The dog kept attacking, neighbors said.

Donna Hartog, 68, another neighbor, said she heard the child's mother scream. The dog's mouth was covered in what appeared to be blood, she said.

"The mouth was totally red," she said.

A 21-year-old neighbor heard the screams and ran out of his home to help everyone. He used a belt to hit the dog, neighbors said. The 21-year-old man's father, Jean Justine, said his son only suffered a scratch while helping. The dog followed Justine's son to Justine's home.

"When my son saw that dog again, he got inside" the home, Justine said. "The dog was really crazy."
At some point, a woman drove up to where the dog was and took the animal away.

"She must have been looking for him, knowing he was loose," Hartog said. "She's screaming, 'Stop beating the dog! Stop beating the dog!'"

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue said the agency's central Broward units responded to assist the child and adult who suffered the dog-bite wounds. The patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

After the dog attack, an animal control unit and a sheriff's deputy responded to the home where the dog apparently lived. The dog was confiscated. A woman at that home, who was crying, declined to comment.

Neighbors saw the dog running loose in the neighborhood several times before, they said.

"That dog needs to be gone," Justine said.

(Sun Sentinel - March 28, 2015)

Texas: Keannon Harper, 23, accused of animal cruelty, beating puppy with belt

TEXAS -- A 10-pound puppy reportedly tortured by its owner is recovering at a new home, authorities said.

Officers arrested 23-year-old Keannon Deshawn Harper on Friday on a warrant accusing him of using a belt to beat the female shepherd mix pup.

They were called to an apartment in the 2500 block of Dartmouth Street on March 27 after a neighbor reported hearing yelling, banging and "a dog crying like it was 'being tortured,'" according to court documents.

When officers arrived, they met with Shakayla Munson and her fiancé, Keannon Harper. They say Munson initially lied to them, claiming she and Harper do not have a dog. But she later admitted it was in the bathroom.

When officers found the puppy, along with fecal matter, blood smears and a bloody belt, it was unable to lift its head or recognize that a person had entered the room, according to the report.

The dog, estimated to be about 12 weeks old, was taken to the Texas A&M Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital and treated for shock, bruising, lacerations on its ears and tongue and head trauma. It was later adopted by a veterinarian.

Harper told officers he had "disciplined" the puppy by hitting it with a belt about 20 times because it had torn up the house and eaten a cable box, police said.

He was charged with cruelty to animals, which is a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail. The other resident will not face charges.
Harper was released from the Brazos County Jail on Friday after posting $10,000 bail.

(Bryan-College Station Eagle - June 1, 2014)

Texas: Francisco Cruz, 68, accused of dragging pony down road because he was mad at it

TEXAS -- A 68-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after authorities say he injured a Shetland pony when he dragged the small horse behind his pickup in Liberty County.

Francisco Castillo Cruz is charged with cruelty to livestock, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said a witness called 911 about 10:30 a.m. to report that he saw the horse owner allegedly dragging the black-and-white Shetland pony behind a red pickup on County Road 6021.

The caller said each time the small horse fell down, the owner would stop, get out of the truck and beat the animal on the head with a belt and buckle. Then the man would get back into the pickup and continue driving, dragging the pony.

Deputies said they were dispatched to the scene and found Cruz at his home in the 100 block of County Road 6023 just outside of Dayton. When they looked at the 5-year-old pony they found that much of its hair and skin on the left side had been scraped off. They also found its left eye severely injured and its hooves damaged.

Deputies said Cruz told them he was "mad" because the pony got out of its stall and wandered off his property. Cruz was arrested and charged.

The horse was turned over to the Houston SPCA for medical treatment and is expected to survive.

A hearing is scheduled on May 13 to determine if the pony should be returned to Cruz.

(Houston Chronicle - May 8, 2014)