Dragging dog 1,000 feet behind pickup truck
Shawnee County, KS (US)Date: May 31, 2003
Disposition: Convicted
Abusers/Suspects: Anthony WilsonJason C. Acker - Alleged
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The owner of a dog dragged 1,100 feet behind a pickup truck was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Melvin Herrington, attorney for Anthony Wilson, said he will appeal the decision of Municipal Court Judge Beth Schafer to Shawnee County District Court. Wilson was part owner of the dog that was dragged on May 31 through Gage Park. The dog later died of pneumonia, unrelated to the dragging injuries.
Herrington said the dragging was an accident.
The judge will resume the trial today of Jason C. Acker, driver of the pickup, who also was charged with one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
The incident began near the park's S.W. 10th Street entrance and ended near the playground area.
"I could see scratches in the street, I could see streaks of blood that indicated that the dog tried to keep up with the vehicle," said Samantha Ewert, former animal control officer for the Topeka Police Department.
The puppy was a male Labrador mix weighing almost 23 pounds.
The dog had been held in the pickup bed by a 4-foot leash, police Detective Michael Barron said Wilson told him.
Wilson told Barron the dog fell out of the truck while he and Acker were en route to a party in Gage Park.
One photograph showed bloody paw prints, another showed a blood trail leading to a curb, and another showed the injured puppy at the veterinarian's office. The dog had "road rash" on its legs, paws and stomach, and its toe nails were worn off, Ewert said.
The blood trail stopped at the playground, where "the crowd was extremely upset at what they had seen and what their children had seen," Ewert said.
The dog had been dragged for 1,140 feet, Ewert said.
Ewert said it was safer for a dog to ride in a truck cab than in the pickup bed. Ewert said that when she used to own a pickup, her dog rode in the cab with her.
"To me, it was clear that it was a case of cruelty," Ewert said of the May 31 incident.
Dr. Tom Mah, a veterinarian for 22 years, didn't have an opinion whether the dragging was intentional or an accident. The Lab mix, which Mah treated, had cuts, abrasions or bruises to the back legs, pads and toe nails, Mah said. Some toe nails were worn off or torn off.
Mah cleaned the wounds, kept the dog for three or four days and turned it over to Helping Hands Humane Society. Other than the injuries and tape worms, the Lab was in "good condition," Mah said. Mah later checked the dog, and its injuries were healing although it had some lameness.
Mah saw the dog again on June 28 when it had a fever and respiratory distress and was vomiting. The dog died the next day of pneumonia, which was unrelated to the injuries, Mah said. References« Back to Search Results
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