Dog dragged behind truck, left to die
Knoxville, TN (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009
County: Knox
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Alleged: Jimmy Lovell
Upcoming Court Dates:
» Friday, Dec 11, 2009: Preliminary Hearing
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A terrier mix that was badly wounded when she was dragged behind a pickup truck Tuesday afternoon is on the road to recovery, a veterinary surgeon who treated her said.
The 17-pound female, nicknamed “Little Brown Dog” by University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s doctors and staff, has horrific thermal burns from the incident but “is a fighter,” said Dr. Patti Sura, small animal surgeon. Still in the intensive care unit of the college’s John and Ann Tickle Small Animal Hospital, the dog continues to get pain medication and has been under anesthesia as her wounds are cleaned and the dead tissue removed, Sura said. She’s shown steady improvement and today ate food and stood up.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Sura said. “She’s just the nicest dog. ... She’s kind of captured everyone here.”
Police charged Jimmy Lovell, 45, with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals. He was jailed in lieu of $2,500 bond.
The incident was reported about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday after several witnesses reported a man was driving along Liberty Street with the dog tied to the rear of the Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.
As the truck moved toward Middlebrook Pike, several people tried to get the driver to stop, DeBusk said. The driver eventually stopped, cursed the witnesses, jerked the dog up from the asphalt, removed the rope from the truck and tossed the dog into the passenger side of the cab and drove away, DeBusk said.
Authorities found the dog abandoned alongside Sutherland Avenue near a business, DeBusk said.
The dog may leave the hospital next week if all goes well, Sura said. DeBusk said her future is undecided, but she won’t be returned to Lovell.
The development office at the college, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, 37920, has set up a “Small Brown Dog Fund” to cover some of the cost of her care.
Case UpdatesA Knoxville man faces a Dec. 11 preliminary hearing in Knox County General Sessions Court on a charge he dragged his dog for several miles behind a pickup truck earlier this month.
Jimmy Lovell, 45, appeared in court today on the charge of aggravated cruelty to an animal. A Knox County public defender was appointed to represent him after he said he lacked the money to pay for his own lawyer. He is free on a $2,500 bond.
According to police, after witnesses saw the 17-pound dog Nov. 3 being dragged behind a Chevrolet S-10, several people tried to stop Lovell. He got out at Middlebrook Pike and walked toward the back of the vehicle while cursing at the witnesses, jerked the dog off the ground, removed the rope from the truck, threw the dog into the passenger side of the vehicle and drove away, according to Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk.
Lovell was arrested later at his Pilkay Road home.
He has said the incident was an accident that he regrets.
The dog suffered numerous abrasions from being dragged on the asphalt. She is being treated at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. | Source: knoxnews.com - Nov 13, 2009
Update posted on Nov 13, 2009 - 4:41PM |
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