CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #418 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Dog beaten with baseball bat
Philadelphia, PA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Aug 23, 2002
County: Philadelphia
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Russell Watson
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
The teenager who, police say, was caught on tape viciously beating a one-year-old pit bull with a baseball bat will remain in custody.
Russell Watson has been ordered held at a youth services center at least until his September 5th court hearing on drug and animal cruelty charges. Eyewitness News' Amy Polacko reports there is now doubt about the suspect's true age and officials are not sure if he should be tried as a juvenile or an adult.
Authorites say after portions of the laundromat surveillance tape were shown on local newscasts they received a number of tip calls lead them to Watson.
At the time of his arrest police say Watson had over 30 vials of crack cocaine in his possession and further investigation revealed he was wanted in connection with previous drug charges.
Authorities say the dog was beaten outside the laundromat at the corner of 36th and Spring Garden Street an unknown number of times on Tuesday morning before it ran inside in an attempt to escape.
The camera was rolling as the suspect allegedly followed the dog inside, beat him between 15-16 times with a bat, then dragged him back outside as horrified workers called 911.
Watkins' relatives say Russell is a long-time animal lover and retaliated against the dog when it attacked him as he tried to help it after it was hit by a car.
The dog's owners, the Robinson family, decided to put the animal to sleep on Thursday after consulting with doctors at the SPCA.
Case Updates| Watson will be held at a state facility until he turns 21, or sooner if approved by the court. Judge Abram Frank Reynolds again denied to certify Russell Watson as an adult to face prison. Judge said the charges of one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and two felony drug offenses were not serious enough for adult certification. | Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Sept 17, 2002
Update posted on Mar 16, 2005 - 10:36AM |
| Russell Watson was found guilty of this crime last Sept. He has been in a juvenile detention facility since. His case was reviewed recently, and the judge decided that Watson should stay in the detention facility until July, when the case will be reviewed again. | | Update posted on Mar 24, 2003 - 1:45AM |
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