(September 2017) Florida: Norberto Delarosa accused of tossing dog out of his truck after Hurricane Irma

FLORIDA -- An Immokalee man is accused of tossing a dog out of his truck near a trash bin on Lake Trafford Road in the wake of Hurricane Irma, according to the Collier County Sheriff's Office.

Norberto Delarosa, 49, was arrested Friday and charged with cruelty to animals. No bail was set.

Witnesses said they saw Delarosa use an electrical cord with Christmas lights on it to pull the dog out of his truck and launch it toward the trash bin Sept. 11, a day after the hurricane made landfall in Southwest Florida, a sheriff's report states.

The dog bounced several times on the pavement before getting wedged between the trash bin and a ramp at the Handy Food Store on Lake Trafford Road, the report says.

A deputy found the dog with its eyes closed and gasping for air, with abrasions on his paws, back and a possible infection in his eye. The Christmas lights were wrapped around the dog's chest near his neck, according to reports.

The dog was taken to a Naples veterinarian. An officer with Collier County Domestic Animal Services told the deputy he was unsure whether the dog would live, the report states.

Three weeks later, Delarosa was found at his home after eyewitness reports identified him as the suspect, the report states.

Delarosa claimed he had saved the dog from floodwaters after Hurricane Irma and appeared hungry. He added that he drove the dog to the trash bin because he claimed that "there seemed to be plenty of food on the ground" for the dog, the report states.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Norberto Delarosa
Date:09/29/2017
Arresting Agency: Collier County Sheriff's Office
Arrest Age:49
Gender: Male
Race: Hispanic
Birthdate: 03/08/1968
City: Immokalee, Florida 34142
Height: 5'08"
Weight: 180 lbs
Hair Color: BLK
Eye Color: BRO
Charges
#1 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS - CAUSE CRUEL DEATH PAIN OR SUFFERING

(Naples News - Sept 30, 2017)

Maryland: Anthony Muniz, 36, charged with animal cruelty; accused of tying a cinder block to his pit bull and drowning it

MARYLAND -- A man from Reisterstown was held without bail on Monday for allegedly drowning a dog in Liberty Reservoir in February, the Carroll County Times reports.

The dog was found dead in the reservoir, tied to a cinder block with a leash and electric cord around his neck, according to charging documents.

The Times reports 36-year-old Anthony Michael Muniz, from Reisterstown, is being charged with one felony county of animal cruelty, one misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment, one count of trespassing and six other misdemeanor charges related to animal cruelty or abandonment, according to electronic court records.

On February 28, Humane Society of Carroll County Animal Control officers were called to Liberty Reservoir for a call of a dead dog floating in the water.

The Times reports that it was a male, black and white dog of a bully breed named Gus, which had been adopted from the Humane Society of Carroll County by Muniz, according to the dog’s microchip information, on December 24.

Muniz reportedly brought the dog in on December 13 and said he was a stray. He then came back on December 24 to fill out paperwork for the dog’s adoption.

Charging documents say that a woman called the Humane Society on January 5 to say that the dog was not a stray, but belonged to her and that she was “concerned for the dog’s safety.”

Animal Control and the Baltimore Environmental Police have launched a joint investigation into Muniz.

"We investigated it in cooperation with the Humane Society ... and found that [Muniz] had fled the state and was hiding at a hotel in Gettysburg," Brackett said in an interview. "We requested the assistance of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office to extradite him from out of state."

Muniz was arrested and extradited with the assistance of Pennsylvania authorities, and brought before a judge in Carroll County on Thursday, March 23, according to Baltimore Environmental Police Chief Luke Brackett.

Muniz is being held without bail at the Carroll County Detention Center, according to electronic court files. He has a hearing scheduled for May 26.

(CBS Local - March 28, 2017)

North Carolina: Abused puppy found tied to bridge

NORTH CAROLINA -- A driver called 911 to report a puppy covered in “chains and stuff” on a bridge in Whiteville on Saturday at 10:20 a.m.

Columbus County Animal Control officers found the one-year-old beagle mix near the Slippery Log Road and Thompson Town Road intersection.

Officials said the dog had been tied to the bridge using a mixture of a leash, extension cords, RCA connectors, wire and duct tape. The puppy was also underfed and dehydrated.

"The intent here is clear, the treatment of this puppy is both unacceptable and illegal" said Joey Prince, Animal Control Director. "The intentional deprivation of necessary sustenance and maliciously torturing of this puppy are both felonies. We are currently investigating and have no other comment at this time."

Officers said the puppy was tied to a metal post of the bridge. They had to cut the wires and the leash to free the dog.

They said the dog appeared to be tied to the bridge at least overnight because she had several insect bites.

The animal is currently being housed in the quarantine area of the Columbus County Animal Shelter and is receiving extra food and water. The beagle mix is estimated to be about five to eight pounds underweight.

Investigators believe the dog may have been stolen. However, they are asking anyone with information to call 910-641-3945. Anonymous tips are accepted.

(Fox Wilmington - July 2, 2016)

Texas: Daniel Loredo gets just 45 days in jail after leaving puppy's neck to rot from embedded extension cord

TEXAS -- A man will be jailed for 45 days after he tied an extension cord around his pit bull's neck and left it there for so long it cut into the animal's skin, causing a serious infection.

Daniel Loredo, 30, of Ennis, Texas, was convicted of animal cruelty last April and placed on community supervision after his two-year sentence was suspended. He will be serving 45 days instead, along with a $2,000 fine.

The months-old pit bull puppy suffered a severe wound from the cord, which was left for so long it became embedded in its neck. The animal was eventually euthanized.

Three children saw the injured pit bull puppy and called the Ennis animal control officers, who then traced the animal back to Loredo and his wife, the Ellis County Press reported.

He was convicted of a felony, and agreed to a 730 day sentence in April 2015. But the sentence was suspended, and Loredo was placed on community supervision for five years instead.

 

In addition to paying a $2,000 fine, the 30-year-old will serve 45 days in jail. He is also banned from owning any animals.

The puppy, which was found with the cord cutting into its neck, was suffering from an infection and taken to the county's SPCA where it was euthanized.

In January of this year, a video was released showing a dog with a massively swollen head because the abused pit bull's nylon collar had been wound extremely tightly around its neck.

The animal, which was rescued in Sardinia, Italy, made a recovery despite the alarming injuries.

In December 2015, 19-year-old Tyson Kurkowski was accused of strangling to death his roommate's Beagle mix with an extension cord and then stuffing its poor body inside a suitcase and throwing it into a creek, KTXS reported.

(Daily Mail - April 17, 2016)

Earlier:

• Tyson Kurkowski, 19, who has already been arrested 16 times this year, charged with animal cruelty

Tyson Kurkowski, 19, who has already been arrested 16 times this year, charged with animal cruelty

TEXAS -- A Texas man has been arrested after authorities in Breckenridge say he strangled his roommate’s dog. The Dreamin’ Demon reports that 19-year-old Tyson Kurkowski has a lengthy criminal history and now faces up to two years in prison in the crime he is accused of committing.

It’s a horrific story that could make any animal lover’s heartache. The horrifying incident was discovered on December 7 when some children in the Breckenridge area discovered a suitcase floating in a creek. 

They retrieved the item and opened it to see what was inside of it. To their shock, the suitcase contained a dead beagle-mix dog, which had an extension cord around its neck. 

It was apparent that the poor animal had been strangled to death with the cord before it was callously discarded in a suitcase that was tossed into the creek.

Authorities in the area did not hesitate during this investigation. KTXS News reports that investigators scoured surveillance footage near the point where they believe the helpless animal had been discarded. They also checked with area vets since the dog appeared to be someone’s pet.

By the end of their investigation, Breckenridge authorities discovered that the beagle-mix did, in fact, belong to someone — the roommate of Texas man Tyson Kurkowski. The owner of the dog had been out of town for a short time, leaving his dog in the care of the 19-year-old — not realizing that he would never see his beloved pet again.

It didn’t take long for Kurkowski to be arrested. He’s been charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, a crime that can carry a sentence of up to two years in jail in the state of Texas.

Breckenridge Police Chief Larry Mahan has expressed disgust at the alleged actions of the 19-year-old man.

Animal cruelty isn’t the only accusation against Tyson Kurkowski. At only 19-years-old, the Texas man has been arrested numerous times in his life. In just the last year alone, he has been arrested at least 16 times. Charges against him have piled up over this span of time, ranging from drug possession and stealing a vehicle to criminal mischief.

He is currently being held in jail on bond in the amount of $10,000 and showed absolutely no remorse in the mugshot taken of him, that is now circulating in online media reports.

Tyson Kurkowski isn’t the first Texas man to get arrested for gruesome crimes against animals. Earlier this month, a man from Seguin, Texas, was arrested in an animal cruelty case that involved the near-death of a dog who has been rescued.

The dog, named Bill by its rescuers, was found with a rope tied so tightly around its neck that it had nearly been decapitated. The rope had to be surgically removed from the poor animal. Bill was also “severely malnourished” and had to be taught how to eat along with other basic skills. The dog is currently recovering in an animal hospital, and 39-year-old Mario Perez is sitting in jail.

Also this month, a story went viral involving a Corpus Christi man, who was allegedly caught on video punching a dog. The female pit bull mix, named Missy, has been rescued, but anger still surrounds the viral video showing the senseless abuse on the docile and friendly dog.

(The Inquisitr - Dec 11, 2015)

Georgia: Bond set for Monterion Davis, 19, who allegedly tried to decapitate dog

MONROE COUNTY, GA --    Bond has been set for a Forsyth man who allegedly almost decapitated his mixed-breed dog. As of Saturday afternoon, he was still in jail.

19-year-old, Monterion Dionte Davis, made his first appearance Friday morning and has a $15,000 bond. He cannot be see with animals, according to Judge Davis, with Monroe County Magistrate Court.

Law enforcement officials called this the worst animal abuse case they have ever seen in Forsyth.

A spokesperson with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Davis was arrested Thursday after an animal advocacy group found out about his severely injured dog.

That group, Save-A-Pet, took the dog to the Caldwell Veterinary Hospital where it underwent emergency surgery to repair its severed trachea and other life-threatening injuries.

Shane Smith said he was at the pound when he saw dog. The pup walked up to him and he saw her throat was severed. Smith rushed the dog to Dr. Butler Caldwell who is amazed she is alive.

Caldwell said, "Most of the musculature up here was severed, the trachea was severed. Fortunately, the major arteries were not severed or the esophagus."

Dr. Caldwell performed the emergency surgery and is overseeing the dog's recovery.

Smith has named her Hope. "She'll just go up to anyone she's just a good dog," said Smith.

Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick said that this was the worst case of animal abuse he'd seen in his 29 years as sheriff.

"Cruelty to animals is a crime I do not take lightly and all such cases will be investigated and perpetrators will be charged," he said.

Bittick said good detective work led them to Davis. He said Davis admitted to using an electrical cord to tie the dog in the woods. The sheriff's office said Davis told investigators he left the dog to die.

Davis is being held in the Monroe County Jail. The sheriff's department will continue to investigate the case.

It is unclear at this time how long Hope was tied up, who brought her to the pounds or why Smith was the first person to get her help.

Smith said Hope is not up for adoption. He and his wife have adopted her and will make sure she never suffers again.

 (CBS ATLANTA - July 21, 2011)