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Case #2851 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Dog beaten, kicked and dragged by rope
Ukiah, CA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Oct 18, 2004
County: Mendocino
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Steven Donald Schwind
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Several people called the police department when they saw a man beating, kicking and dragging a little puppy around on a rope this week in the north end of town. A transient was arrested on the morning of Oct 18 by police and apparently this is not his first animal abuse charge.
Case UpdatesSteven Donald Schwind, 39, a transient from Colorado, last week pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, according to corrections staff.
The dog -- a 4-month-old male Rottweiler/Labrador retriever mix -- remains in protective custody at the Mendocino County Animal Care and Control.
On Oct. 18, numerous people called 911 with reports of a man abusing a puppy.
The first witness reported seeing Schwind outside Raley's supermarket, where he was allegedly stomping his feet and kicking the dog. He then dragged the dog away via a makeshift leash -- a rope tied around its neck -- and continued to pull the pup south on State Street, according to police.
Soon after, near Carl's Jr. restaurant, another witness allegedly saw Schwind pick up the dog, shake it violently and slap it with an open hand. From there he reportedly continued down State Street to Kentucky Fried Chicken, where yet another witness allegedly observed him dragging the dog by the neck with the rope, and again, picking it up, shaking it violently and hitting it with a closed fist, police said.
One woman told police "He repeatedly punched the poor puppy, while yelling at it."
On the day of the incident, the puppy was taken to Mendocino County Animal Care and Control to be examined by a veterinarian there. While witnesses will attest the dog took a beating, according to the veterinarian's report, the dog was alert and physically uninjured.
Animal Control is waiting to hear from the court the fate of the dog. A judge will determine if the dog goes back to Schwind or gets put up for adoption.
If the latter is the case, the dog already has at least one place it can call home, because a woman apparently already has called Animal Control to see if she could adopt it. | Source: Ukiah Daily Journal - Oct 30, 2004
Update posted on Nov 10, 2004 - 12:47AM |
References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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