A man is accused of stealing dogs and placing one of them in a washing machine with hot water and turning it on after he became angry with the animal.
The 2-year-old black Labrador-retriever mix suffered burns and multiple injuries and was euthanized in January at a Grapevine animal shelter.
A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Chad Edward Ellis, 32, on April 28 on a charge of animal cruelty.
Ellis could not be reached today for comment.
When police searched his home in February, three dogs that had been reported stolen from the neighborhood were found in Ellis� home, according to police reports.
�The public was extremely upset that their dogs were turning up missing,� said Euless police Lt. Wayne Pavlik.
Police began an investigation in February into the missing dogs after receiving several reports from residents that they couldn�t find their pets in the far north Euless neighborhood.
�When the detective was in the neighborhood, he noticed quite a few fliers of missing dogs,� Pavlik said. �The detective talked to one resident who told him about a suspicious man in the neighborhood who would walk around with leashes.�
Investigators traced the man to the 2900 block of Kathleen Lane.
�When officers went to the house, a woman invited them in,� Pavlik said. �When they saw drugs out in the open, they stepped out of the house and got a search warrant.�
Armed with a search warrant, police found three dogs that had been reported missing and an undisclosed amount of illegal drugs in Ellis� home. Ellis was arrested shortly after police searched the house. Ellis did not give police a statement about the dogs, Pavlik said.
During the search, the 25-year-old woman told police that in January she had found the 30- to 35-pound Labrador in a closet. The dog had been injured.
�She had seen the dog around the house and then one day it was gone. The dog didn�t belong to Ellis,� Pavlik said. �She asked Ellis about the dog, but he was evasive. One day, she just found the dog in the closet.�
Ellis told the woman that he had placed the dog in the washing machine after he became angry, according to police reports.
The woman took the dog to the Grapevine animal shelter where the staff there had had to euthanize the animal.
According to Tarrant County criminal court records, Ellis has a criminal history. He has four burglary and three theft charges in connection with crimes committed from June until October in Grapevine and Euless.
He also was charged with delivery of a controlled substance in connection with the drugs that were found in his home on Feb. 1, court records show. Case UpdatesEllis is accused of stealing dogs and placing one of them in a washing machine with hot water and turning it on after he became angry with the animal.
The 2-year-old black Labrador-retriever mix suffered burns and multiple injuries and was euthanized in January at a Grapevine animal shelter.
A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Chad Edward Ellis, 32, on Friday on a charge of animal cruelty.
When police searched his home in February, three dogs that had been reported stolen from the neighborhood were found in Ellis� home, according to police reports.
�The public was extremely upset that their dogs were turning up missing,� said Euless police Lt. Wayne Pavlik.
Police began an investigation in February into the missing dogs after receiving several reports from residents that they couldn�t find their pets in the far north Euless neighborhood.
�When the detective was in the neighborhood, he noticed quite a few fliers of missing dogs,� Pavlik said. �The detective talked to one resident who told him about a suspicious man in the neighborhood who would walk around with leashes.�
�When officers went to the house, a woman invited them in,� Pavlik said. �When they saw drugs out in the open, they stepped out of the house and got a search warrant.�
Armed with a search warrant, police found three dogs that had been reported missing and an undisclosed amount of illegal drugs in Ellis� home. Ellis was arrested shortly after police searched the house. Ellis did not give police a statement about the dogs, Pavlik stated.
During the search, the 25-year-old woman told police that in January she had found the 30- to 35-pound Labrador in a closet. The dog had been injured.
�She had seen the dog around the house and then one day it was gone. The dog didn�t belong to Ellis,� Pavlik stated. �She asked Ellis about the dog, but he was evasive. One day, she just found the dog in the closet.�
Ellis told the woman that he had placed the dog in the washing machine after he became angry, according to police reports.
The woman took the dog to the Grapevine animal shelter where the staff there had had to euthanize the animal.
According to Tarrant County criminal court records, Ellis has a criminal history. He has four burglary and three theft charges in connection with crimes committed from June until October in Grapevine and Euless.
He also was charged with delivery of a controlled substance in connection with the drugs that were found in his home on Feb. 1, court records show. | Source: style="color: #A4A4A4;">Update posted on May 2, 2006 - 6:19PM |
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