Madison County prosecutors have charged a Fairmont City man with tying a 63-pound concrete block to his dog and throwing it into Cahokia Canal.
The dog survived.
Guadalupe Perez Varela, 25, is charged with one count of animal torture, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Prosecutors said someone called police after seeing Varela abusing the dog and putting it into a vehicle on Sunday, Jan 29, 2006.
Police located Varela, who took them to the dog.
"Its head was above water, but he couldn't get anywhere because it was tied to that concrete block," said Stephanee Smith, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office.
"It had not been there that long."
Smith said Varela was upset with the dog's behavior. She declined to elaborate.
The dog was taken to the Madison County Animal Control Department. The department's administrator, veterinarian David Hall, said the dog, which appeared to be a blue heeler-mix, had a swollen lip but no other injuries.
Hall estimated the dog to be 1 or 2 years old.
Hall said if authorities determine the owner can no longer have the dog, or if the owner no longer wants it, the dog would be made available to Metro East Humane Society, which would try to have it adopted. If the Humane Society does not take the dog, it will be euthanized.
Circuit Judge Charles Romani Jr. set Varela's bail at $30,000. It could not be determined if Fairmont City Police had taken Varela into custody yet. References« 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.
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