Dragged dog behind vehicle for almost a mile - Saltville, VA

Thursday, May 31, 2001

Max, a 6-year-old boxer-mix dog, suffered a terrible death last week in a Smyth County town, police said.   

Max's case, which Saltville Police Chief Steve Surber described as the "most gruesome" example of animal cruelty he has seen in his career, began June 6. That's when Karen Johnson returned home from work and found the dog missing, Surber said.   Johnson told police that she feared the dog that she adopted from an animal shelter five years ago had been taken by a former boyfriend, Surber said.  

A short time later, officers stopped Charles K. Ratcliff for speeding on West Main Street and questioned him about the dog, according to the police chief.   When he was questioned again at the police department, Ratcliff told police where they could find the dog, Surber said.  

Officers found the dog's body on Cedar Branch Road, Surber said.   Investigators believe a thin steel cable was tied around the pup's neck and attached to the bumper of a truck, Surber said. The dog was then dragged behind the truck for almost a mile and left by the side of the road, where he later died, Surber said.   "The blood streak measured nine-tenths of a mile," Surber said. 

Police have charged Ratcliff, 28, of West Main Street, Saltville, with grand larceny, a felony, for allegedly taking the dog from Johnson's home. He also faces misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, dumping on private property and reckless driving, police said.   Ratcliff is free on a $20,000 bond pending a court hearing. He has been ordered to have no contact with Johnson, the dog's owner, or her family and to own no animals.  

References

• Bristol Herald Courier

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