Puppy dies after being punished
Borden, IN (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 31, 2011
County: Clark
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Thomas J. Wehrle
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Borden man was charged Tuesday with a felony after he allegedly killed a dog.
Clark County Sheriff's Department deputies were called at 11:39 p.m. on Thursday to the 100 block of West Street for a report of animal cruelty. A woman there said she had been in an argument earlier in the day with her boyfriend, Thomas J. Wehrle, 29.
According to an incident report, the woman said she returned to the residence at about 9:30 p.m., and her 4-month-old chihuahua/dachshund mix appeared in severe pain and straining to breathe. The woman said Wehrle told her the puppy "unintentionally used the restroom on the bedroom floor" and he punished the dog.
Wehrle later told police that after rubbing the dog's nose in the excrement, he swatted the dog gently on the rear end. He said he had grabbed the dog only by the excess skin on the back of its neck, but when questioned why the dog had such extensive injuries, he said he possibly grabbed the dog around the neck with too much force.
When the officers arrived, they noticed the dog was very slow to react and did not have the strength to stand. The officer advised the owner to take the dog to a veterinarian or animal hospital, but she said she did not have the money for a hospital.
When the officer checked back the next day, the woman said she was preparing to take the dog to the veterinarian at 8 a.m. and realized the dog had apparently died during the night.
The dog owner's mother said Wehrle was abusive to her daughter and grandchild, and Child Protective Services was involved in an investigation.
Wehrle was arrested Monday for domestic battery, and on Tuesday, the Clark County Prosecutor's Office filed charges of class D felony killing a domestic animal and class A misdemeanor cruelty to an animal. Bond is set at $5,000 court cash or surety in Clark County Superior Court No. 3.
Case UpdatesA southern Indiana grandmother said the man who allegedly killed her daughter's puppy also abused her grandson, police said.
"It is sad that the puppy passed, and the puppy had to die at the hands of him. My grandson could have easily had his neck snapped and windpipe crushed just like the puppy and nothing's been done," Kerry Slider said.
Tom Wehrle, 29, was arrested Monday night in Borden, Ind. He's charged with domestic battery, killing a domestic animal and animal cruelty.
According to court records, Wehrle told police he may have grabbed his girlfriend's dog, Z, around the neck with too much force as he was attempting to punish him for urinating inside the house.
"This is not picking it up gently spanking its butt, rubbing its nose in the carpet. This is smashing its head in the carpet, grabbing it by the neck, probably jerking him around and throwing him. This puppy couldn't walk; he was wobbly. He couldn't breathe; he was gasping for air," said Slider.
Z died from his injuries and was buried across from Slider's home.
Slider said Wehrle should have been arrested months ago.
In November, Slider's daughter and Wehrle were babysitting her grandson and granddaughter. When she picked her grandson up, she knew something was wrong.
Slider said, "He was just acting kind of mopey and stuff. I said, 'You want to (lie) down?' He wanted his pajamas on. I took his shirt off and when I did, I was like, "Oh my.'"
Slider took pictures of the red marks on the 2½-year-old's neck.
In a police report, Wehrle said the boy had wet his pants. He grabbed his neck as he walked him to the bathroom to get cleaned up but didn't realize he had scratched him.
The officer notes said the red marks do not look like scratch marks.
Slider says Child Protective Services filed a report as well, but someone dropped the ball. The Clark County Prosecutor's Office just received the documents in the past few weeks.
"If he could forcefully leave marks like that, he could have easily broke the baby's neck, versus the dog," said Slider.
The prosecutor's office said the investigation is ongoing and the case is under review.
Wehrle has not been charged with injuring the child. | Source: wlky.com - Apr 6, 2011
Update posted on May 24, 2011 - 7:36PM |
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