Somerset police are calling it he worst case of animal cruelty they�ve ever seen. It was caught on tape, but the tape is too violent to show.
Thirty-year old Ronald Turner has been arrested and charged with animal abuse. A neighbor taped his violent attack on an 8-month-old Labrador and showed it to police.
Somerset Police Detective Shannon Smith says the tape shows Turner �choking the dog several times; it shows him slamming the dog up against the tree, rolling the doghouse over on top of the dog, then doing a body slam with the dog on the ground.�
Turner says he beat the dog because it bit him. The dog is being cared for at the local animal shelter and is doing well. Case UpdatesRonald Turner was arraigned on June 28, 2007. His pre-trial is scheduled for September 13, 2007.
Case # 07M951
Pulaski County Courthouse
100 North Main Street
Somerset, KY 42501
Phone: 606-677-4029
Prosecutor:
William Thompson
108 North Main Street; P.O. Box 5
Somerset, KY 42502
Phone: 606-679-4449
Fax: 606-678-2635
Judge:
Jeffrey Scott Lawless,
Chief District Judge
Pulaski County Courthouse
100 North Main Street; P.O. Box 682
Somerset, KY 42501
Phone: 606-677-4112
Fax: 606-677-4140
Tips for Effective Letter Writing:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/action_alerts/letter_writing.php | Source: Pulaski County Courthouse
Update posted on Aug 24, 2007 - 9:40PM |
Romeo seems to be doing quite well in these dog days of summer. But that was the hardly case for the yellow lab a few months ago.
�He had a few injuries; he had a few scrapes and different things,� says Amanda Robertson, a local veterinarian now caring for the once-abused dog.
Pictures from a neighbor's camera shows abuse allegedly at the hands of Romeo's owner, Ronald Shawn Turner. Since Turner's arrest and a short stay at the animal shelter, Romeo is now in the care of a Somerset veterinarian.
�He loves to run and play and loves to eat food. He gets a lot of attention. We've kind of made him all our own. Our animal,� says Robertson.
A lot of people in the Somerset area want to adopt Romeo, but first the case against Ronald Shawn Turner must clear the courts and the prosecutor says Turner must agree to forfeit the dog.
Turner is already in some new hot water, though. His animal cruelty charges haven't been resolved and court records show that he was arrested earlier this month for DUI and drug possession charges. The local humane society doesn't want Romeo back with Turner, and the veterinarians say he needs a good home with good people.
�He needs somebody with children, too. He's someone who needs a lot of attention. Lots of energy,� says Robertson.
So far about 14 people make up the short list of people who want to adopt him. | Source: WKYT - Aug 23, 2007
Update posted on Aug 23, 2007 - 9:02PM |
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