Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog burned to death

Dog burned to death
Macon, GA (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
County: Bibb
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Charges: Felony CTA

Abusers/Suspects:
» 14 year old male
» 14 year old male
» 13 year old male

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

Case ID: 11438

Classification: Burning - Fire or Fireworks

Animal: dog (pit-bull)

View more cases in GA (US)

Three teens are accused of burning a dog alive in what animal rescuers from middle Georgia are calling one of the worst examples of animal cruelty they have seen.

Police Sergeant Melanie Hofmann says the charred animal was found yesterday afternoon in a woman's backyard in south Macon after one of her own dogs began barking.

Hofmann says the woman called nine-one-one and used a garden hose on the fire until firefighters arrived.

A chain around the dog's neck had become entangled in a patch of bushes as it ran into the yard ablaze. A charred path of grass led into the yard from the road.

Emergency workers tried to save the dog, but Hofmann said it died soon after the flames were extinguished. She says the dog might have been part bulldog mixed with another breed.

Hofmann said three boys, two of them 14 and one 13, have been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals. She says an empty lighter fluid bottle was found was near the crime scene, but police aren't sure whether it was used to set the dog on fire.

Case Updates

Two Macon teens accused of burning two dogs to death back in May pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of aggravated animal cruelty.

According to assistant district attorney Gerald Henderson, both teens pleaded guilty right before their trial was scheduled to begin.

He said they were sentenced to the maximum, 24 months probation and 60 hours in a juvenile detention center.

Also they must undergo psychiatric evaluation and follow through with any treatment that is recommended, Henderson said.

Authorities have not identified the two 16 year-old boys because they are juveniles.

Source: WMAZ.com - Aug 9, 2007
Update posted on Aug 10, 2007 - 1:38PM

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A court official in Macon said a 14-year-old boy who was charged with burning two dogs to death has been sentenced to 60 days in a detention center.

The teen admitted to two aggravated animal cruelty charges. Assistant District Attorney Gerald Henderson of the Macon Judicial Circuit said on Monday the boy also was given 24 months on probation and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.

The boy was sentenced Friday in Bibb County Juvenile Court. He was one of three youths accused of burning two dogs last month in a case that drew demonstrations outside the county courthouse.

The two other boys, who are 14 and 13 years old, have not entered pleas. Their names have not been released because they are in the juvenile court system.

The two cases came to light May 15 after a woman in south Macon discovered what turned out to be a mixed-breed dog burning in the corner of her yard.

The boys also were charged with fatally burning a puppy.

Animal rescuers from central Georgia called the case one of the worst examples of animal cruelty in they have ever seen. About three dozen people demonstrated outside the courthouse in late May, when the accused teens made their first court appearance.

Source: News4Jax - June 19, 2007
Update posted on Jun 19, 2007 - 5:10PM

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Three boys charged with burning a dog to death have also been charged for a prior incident in which a puppy was set ablaze, a prosecutor said Thursday.

The boys, two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old, are charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and are expected to enter pleas in the case next week.

Gerald Henderson, an assistant Bibb County district attorney, said if the boys admit to the charges in court or are convicted, he will request a psychological evaluation for them. His recommended sentence would depend on the result of that evaluation, he said.

The two cases came to light May 15 after a woman in south Macon discovered what turned out to be a mixed-breed dog burning in the corner of her yard on Cliffview Drive.

Not knowing what was burning, she called 911 and tried to put out the fire with a garden hose until firefighters arrived.

Once firefighters extinguished the flames, they discovered the charred dog had been set on fire before running into the woman's yard.

Now the boys also are charged in a second incident that happened May 9.

Porsha Drewery, of Rutherford Avenue, told police after the May 15 incident that she believed the boys burned and killed her 14-year-old daughter's chow puppy. Drewery said the boys admitted to her that they burned 2-month-old Camile after she found the injured dog charred on her back porch.

The dog was suffering and Drewery said her neighbor shot Camile, putting the chow out of its misery. Henderson said community members have contacted him expressing both anger and sympathy - sympathy for the boys' mental state and anger at the nature of the crime.

Source: Macon.com - June 1, 2007
Update posted on Jun 2, 2007 - 3:52PM

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About three dozen people troubled by recent cases of animal abuse carried signs near the Bibb County Courthouse on Friday while three Macon teenagers accused of burning a dog to death made their first court appearance.

The three teens, one 13 and two 14 years old, were told the charges against them during Friday's hearing, said Jerry Henderson, a Bibb County assistant district attorney. The three, who will be tried as juveniles, are scheduled for arraignment next week and will enter pleas to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Across the street from the courthouse, members of several Middle Georgia animal protection groups participated in a march, including Save A Pet, FURever Friends, All About Animals and Heart of Georgia Humane Society.

Some of the signs they carried read: "They can't speak but they can suffer," "Teach your children compassion," and "Dogs are not disposable."

"We wanted to express our grief over what happened," said Donna Conaway, a Heart of Georgia representative.

"When we heard about the dog being burned, we knew we needed to let people know about animal abuse," said Patricia Corley, a Save A Pet member. The group's aim is to educate the public and try to stop animal abuse - in all its various forms.

"It's going on in Macon and in other small towns," she said. "It's happening here, and we need to stop it. ... Education is the tool."

People need to be more protective of their pets and know where they are during the day, she said. "You've got to protect them just like you would your children."

Before they left, the marchers put together a makeshift memorial to the dog next to a tree in the small park. It consisted of flowers and a sign that featured pictures of dogs with the words "In Memory Of All The Nameless Animals That Died At The Hands Of Abusers" in red and black lettering.

Source: Macon.com - May 26, 2007
Update posted on May 29, 2007 - 3:37PM

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Allegations have surfaced that the three teenagers arrested on May 15 for burning a dog to death may have burned another dog May 9 in the same neighborhood, according to a Macon Police Department arrest report.

Porsha Drewery, of Rutherford Avenue, told police after Tuesday's incident that she believed the boys burned and killed her 14-year-old daughter's chow puppy also.

'They were just hateful,' she said. 'They did it for fun.'

Drewery said the boys admitted to her that they'd burned 2-month-old Camile after she found the injured dog charred on her back porch.

'Its nose was gone,' Drewery said. 'It was shaking.'

The dog was suffering and Drewery said her neighbor shot Camile, putting the chow out of her misery.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said no one reported the puppy being burned and police have no physical evidence linking the boys to Drewery's dog.

But officers are investigating the possibility that the boys may have harmed other animals, Hofmann said.

The boys, aged 13 and 14, were charged with aggravated cruelty to animals Tuesday evening after a woman discovered a mixed breed dog burning in the corner of her yard on Cliffview Drive.

Not knowing what was burning, police say the woman called 911 and tried to put out the fire with a garden hose until firefighters arrived.

Once firefighters extinguished the flames they discovered the charred dog had been set on fire before running into the woman's yard.

Hoffman said the dog was still alive when firefighters extinguished the flames, but the dog died within minutes.

While canvassing the neighborhood looking for witnesses, officers spoke with Rochelle Tharman who said the boys were at her house on Bacon Street about 3:20 p.m., according to the arrest report.

She told officers the boys had discussed burning a dog and she'd taken a bottle of lighter fluid away from them before they left the house, according to the report.

Hofmann said the boys later acquired another bottle of lighter fluid that officers recovered and are keeping as evidence. She said the lighter fluid has not been linked to the fire.

Based upon neighbors' testimony, officers arrested the boys about 7 p.m. after spotting them walking down Houston Avenue, according to the report.

The boys were released into their parents' custody Tuesday night and are scheduled to appear in court May 25.

Assistant district attorney Gerald Henderson said the boys could face a number of punishments if found guilty of setting the dog ablaze.

Henderson, a juvenile prosecutor, said the judicial process will begin with the boys appearing before a judge to determine if enough probable cause exists for the charges to stick. If enough probable cause exists, the boys will enter Bibb County's juvenile court system.

He said the boys could be committed to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility for rehabilitation.

'They could also face up to 60 days in a regional youth detention center,' Henderson said, adding the sentence could be as long as five years if the boys have prior felony convictions.

Henderson said anger management classes and psychiatric therapy also could be among the judge's sentencing options.

Source: Macon Telegraph - May 16, 2007
Update posted on May 22, 2007 - 1:17PM

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Dog burned to deathMacon, GA (US)

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Dog burned to death
Macon, GA (US)