Case Details

Two Men charged in dog-dragging death
Hyndman, PA (US)

Date: Feb 22, 2004
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:

  • Charles Logsdon
  • Joshua David Gordon - Dismissed

    Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
  • Case ID: 2054
    Classification: Vehicular
    Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
    View more cases in PA (US)
    Login to Watch this Case

    The 47-year-old Hyndman man has been charged with dragging his husky mixed-breed behind a pickup truck for about two miles, killing the animal in a case of animal cruelty that shocked the region.

    The driver of the pickup also has been arrested in connection with the canine�s death, which occurred Feb. 22, 2004 outside Hyndman in Londonderry Township.

    Charles Logsdon, 47,  and Joshua David Gordon, 21, faces cruelty to animal charges, Pennsylvania State Police stated.

    �That�s about as bad as you can get,� said Joe Beasley, vice president of the Humane Society of Bedford County.

    Bedford County District Attorney William Higgins said the two suspects could receive up to five years behind bars.

    Late last week, Trooper Bradley Hershey issued a public plea for help in solving the crime. Hershey�s investigation re-vealed that Logsdon was a passenger in the pickup driven by Gordon.

    The dog was believed to have been dragged for about two miles on Crooks Mills Road outside Hyndman.

    After the dog died, Gordon and Logsdon allegedly threw it over an embankment on Crooks Mill Road. The charges were filed before District Justice Erika McVicker of Schellsburg.

    Case Updates

    The jury acquitted a man of charges that he purposely dragged a dog to its death behind the pickup truck he was driving in February 2004.

    Joshua David Gordon, 21, of Hyndman, said he was trying to take the dog to a new home and it was tied to the truck's rear when it jumped or fell from the truck bed and was dragged for two miles. Gordon said a hole in the truck's muffler, and loud Jethro Tull music on the radio, kept him and Charles Logsdon, 48, from hearing the dog or passersby who saw the animal and yelled at them to stop.

    Logsdon is awaiting trial later this month. His defense attorney, Dwight Diehl, said Logsdon has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old.

    Gordon, who testified that he can't read or write and completed 12th grade in a special education class, told the jury that acquitted him Wednesday that he repeatedly told Logsdon to watch the dog as they drove to take it to Gordon's aunt's home.

    The Bedford County jury deliberated for 2 1/2 hours before finding Gordon not guilty of conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals.
    Update posted on Jul 8, 2004 - 5:03AM 
    Shellsburg District Justice Erika McVicker on Wednesday (March 24, 2004) ruled prosecutors have enough evidence to try Joshua Gordon, 21, and Charles Logsdon, 48, on animal cruelty and conspiracy charges stemming from the Feb. 22 death of Logsdon's dog.

    During a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors showed pictures of the dog's mangled body and had a man testify he heard the dog yelping as Gordon drove by his Bedford County home. A state trooper testified they followed a 2-mile blood trail on the road and found the dog's carcass.

    Attorneys for the men argued the dog's death was an accident and prosecutors had little evidence they planned to kill the dog.

    "What's alleged to have happened is something terrible without question. But was this willful and malicious? It is not," said Troy Daughtery, Gordon's attorney.


    After the hearing, Gordon and Logsdon were taken to the Bedford County Jail where they were being held on $5,000 bond each.
    Update posted on Apr 1, 2004 - 8:30AM 

    References

    Johnston Tribune
    NEPA News

    « Back to Search Results

    Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

    For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.



    Send this page to a friend
    © Copyright 2001-2006 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy