Small puppy savagely beaten, dragged
Taunton, MA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jun 15, 2009
County: Bristol
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Chad Benjamin
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A city man who police say savagely beat his 4-month-old pit bull - to the extent that it suffered broken ribs and internal injuries - is in custody and being held on $500 cash bail.
Chad Benjamin, 31, of 69 Hart St., was charged with a single count of cruelty to an animal in connection with the Monday morning incident, police said.
His puppy, meanwhile, was transferred to Boston's Animal Rescue League, after Taunton's assistant animal control officer determined that it would require surgery in order to survive.
Benjamin was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. after someone reported seeing a man wearing a red shirt and a black bandana who was intermittently beating his small puppy while walking on Washington Street near St. Mary's Square.
The caller claims that the dog was being dragged and that at one point, in addition to striking the animal, the owner forcibly lifted his pet off the sidewalk by its leash.
Patrolman Gerard Roy, in his report, said that after pulling into the parking lot of Cumberland Farms on Broadway, he observed Benjamin bend over and punch the pup in the midsection with what he described as "extreme force."
After the officer yelled at him, Benjamin secured his puppy's leash to a dumpster and then allegedly admitted hitting his pet, although "not very hard." Roy said that the dog appeared frightened and was "shaking excessively." He also said he noticed a "fresh bloody abrasion" over one of its eyes.
Assistant animal control officer Charles Mosher initially took the dog to a local veterinarian, who quickly determined that the puppy was seriously injured and would need surgery.
A call to the Boston Animal Rescue League, to check on the dog's condition, was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Benjamin is due back in Taunton District Court on July 14.
Earlier this month, the Taunton Daily Gazette newsroom received an e-mail from someone who said that she and her husband had observed what appeared to be someone submitting a pit bull to a strength-training regimen �" with the intent, possibly, of preparing it to engage in dog fighting.
It was alleged that a resident of a house on the 300 block of Tremont Street had fastened a harness with an attached weight to the neck of the pit bull. The dog was then reportedly forced to drag the weight across the lawn.
The e-mail also stated that police told the woman that they had received similar calls about the man and his dog, but that the pet owner's actions didn't rise to the level of abuse.
The man allegedly told cops that he was merely training his dog to "pull things in the yard."
Case UpdatesThe local man facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly beating a pit bull puppy on a city street will have to wait to learn his fate.
The animal cruelty case against Chad Benjamin, 31, was continued Monday to Aug. 18, when the defendant is due to appear in Taunton District Court for a pretrial hearing.
Benjamin was arrested June 15 after a Taunton police officer reported seeing him dragging his girlfriend’s 4-month old puppy down the street, punching it and lifting it up off the ground by the leash.
In his last court appearance, Benjamin prepared to plead guilty, but withdrew the plea after Judge Daniel O’Shea informed him that a conviction would carry a one-year jail sentence. Benjamin’s attorney had sought a six-month sentence and said he was caught off-guard by the judge’s statement.
The male puppy, which was taken in by the Boston Animal Rescue League, is reportedly doing well. | Source: Taunton Daily Gazette - Aug 3, 2009
Update posted on Aug 6, 2009 - 1:55PM |
The city man accused of publicly beating a puppy in broad daylight was prepared to plead guilty to an animal cruelty charge Tuesday, but then withdrew the plea after a district judge informed him that the court would impose a one-year jail sentence if the plea was formally accepted.
Chad Benjamin, 31, is due back in court Aug. 3, when the animal cruelty case and an alleged probation violation will likely be resolved.
Attorney James Hassan, who represents Benjamin, recommended a six-month sentence for his client and said he was under the impression that there was an understanding with the court.
Prosecutor Amy Valente then asked that Benjamin be sentenced to two years behind bars, due to the nature of the charges and his past history of "serious offenses, violent offenses and drug violations."
According to police reports, Benjamin was seen June 15 dragging his girlfriend's 4-month-old pitbull puppy, lifting it off the ground by its leash and punching it. Benjamin did not dispute the allegations.
"He understands what he did was wrong," Hassan said in Benjamin's defense. "He never intended to hurt it. It had something in its mouth �" you know how pitbulls are when they bite down on something �" and he tried to get it to let it out."
During the pre-trial conference Tuesday in Taunton District Court, probation officials stated that Benjamin had violated the terms of his probation from another case when he was convicted of cocaine possession charges April 22. The offense carries a six-month suspended sentence.
Hassan said he had just taken on Benjamin's case. The defendant was previously represented by a different lawyer.
"My understanding was that if I couldn't wrap everything up, I'd be able to move it to another date," Hassan said. "I want to withdraw everything."
Judge Daniel O'Shea ordered that Benjamin remain held on $500 cash bail and continued the case to Aug. 3.
The male puppy allegedly abused by Benjamin is "doing really well," Christopher Charbonneau, a patrolman with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, said Tuesday.
"He still has some sore spots, but his bones are firm," Charbonneau said.
Charbonneau said that the dog will likely be placed with a "foster family" willing to keep and raise the dog for as long as up to a year.
He said that the Boston league and other animal care facilities, in lieu of finding a permanent home for a young dog, encourage families to volunteer to provide a foster home so that the animal doesn't develop "cage rage."
"[Young dogs] can become difficult when they're locked up. Socialization is very important," Charbonneau said.
Dogs, unlike humans, don't have a problem adjusting from living with one family or owner to another, he said. As a result, a dog that is returned to the animal rescue league can make a smooth transition to a permanent home.
"It only takes a few days for it to adjust," Charbonneau said.
He said that since the alleged beating incident, Benjamin and his girlfriend have expressed an interest to the rescue league to eventually take back what was once their dog.
"That's not going to happen," Charbonneau said. | Source: Taunton Daily Gazette - July 14, 2009
Update posted on Jul 16, 2009 - 10:05AM |
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