Dog beaten with baseball bat, dies
Baltimore, MD (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Aug 9, 2010
County: Baltimore City

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Derrick Chambers

Forty-eight-year-old Derrick Chambers faces several animal cruelty charges after police say he beat his four-year-old min-pin with a baseball bat.

"A broken right leg, his ribs were shattered, his teeth were missing, his jaw was broken," said Kevin Usilton, BARCS.

When officers responded to a 911 call, they found the dog tied up in a garbage bag in the bed of Chambers' truck at his house on West Franklin Street. They say the min-pin died less than an hour later.

One neighbor who saw the dog calls it "horrifying."

"He was bleeding from his head and he was just limp. The dog tried to get up but his right leg and paw were broken and his head was bashed in. Then he collapsed and just laid still," said the neighbor, who asked to be anonymous.

Police say Chambers told them the dog had become unruly and tried to have intercourse with his cat. He also said the dog nipped him in the finger.

"This was a fit of rage on behalf of the owner," Chambers said.

A fit of rage all too familiar in Baltimore. The city formed an animal abuse task force after two teens set a pit bull on fire last summer. Police say recently dogs have been attacked with machetes and beaten to death with sticks and rocks. In Cherry Hill, someone stoned a cat and her newborn litter.

Animal Control officers say they see cases like this at least once a week.

Chambers is set to appear in court in September. In this case, Animal Control officers say it was critical that someone called for help. They want everyone to do the same if they witness abuse.

The Animal Cruelty Task Force turned in a lengthy report with 50 recommendations to the City Council to fight back.

References

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