Tying rope around dog's neck so tightly that it grew into skin, infected with maggots
Perkins, OK (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 11, 2003
County: Payne
Disposition: Acquitted
Person of Interest: Thomas Louis Verner
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Perkins man is accused of tying a rope around a dog's neck so tightly that it grew into the animal's skin. Thomas Louis Verner, 57, has been jailed on an animal cruelty charge since his arrest Monday.
The bulldog, named Buddy by veterinary staff, had a serious infection because of the rope and is recuperating at the Perkins Animal Shelter.
The dog stayed at the veterinary clinic for about 10 days and the staff had to cut the rope off his neck. The wound was infected with maggots, authorities said.
Buddy, who is a year or two old, is not available for adoption yet, but plenty of people already have offered to take him, Animal Control Officer Jeff Radford said.
"He's a good-looking dog,'' he said. "If I could adopt him, I would, but I've got an apartment. They won't let me have animals.''
The Perkins shelter is a no-kill shelter, meaning no animals are euthanized.
Perkins police were called June 11 by a woman who said her neighbor's brindle-and-white bulldog showed up in her front yard, Police Chief Robert Williams said in a court affidavit.
"She noticed a rope tied around the dog's neck so tight and appeared to have been there for a long time,'' the affidavit said.
The neighbor told police the dog had been tied to a tree "for the last year'' with a rope that was about 3 feet long.
"When the animal showed up at her house, she gave it several bowls of water and then noticed that it appeared to be bleeding around the neck,'' court records said. ``It was also unsteady on its rear legs.''
The dog's owner told police he was "caring for the animal for the past four months and that the animal was getting loose, so he put the rope around the animal to stop this, and he had also put a collar on the animal just a few days ago,'' the affidavit said.
If convicted, Verner could face a maximum penalty of as much as five years in prison and a $500 fine. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Case UpdatesVerner was accused of tying a rope around a dog's neck so tightly that it dug into the dog's skin was acquitted Tuesday June 22, 2004 of animal cruelty.
Thomas Louis Verner, 58, was arrested in July 2003 after a neighbor reported Verner's bulldog appeared in her front yard and was bleeding. A veterinarian testified last year that the dog "had rotting tissue on his neck," which was badly infected and had maggots.
The dog, which has been in the custody of the Perkins animal control office, is "in excellent health," Perkins Police Chief Robert Williams said. The dog will eventually be put up for adoption, prosecutor Tom Lee said. | | Update posted on Jun 24, 2004 - 3:59PM |
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