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DRAPER — A man who allegedly decided to let his pit bull and the neighbor's dog work out their differences by fighting now faces criminal charges.
Jonny Azhael Herrera, 20, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with dog fighting, a third-degree felony, and cruelty to animals, a class B misdemeanor.
On June 30, a passer-by spotted two dogs fighting at a park at 8283 South 4300 West, according to charging documents. The dogs were on leashes with each owner holding their own animal.
The passer-by could hear whimpering from one of the dogs and called police. The responding officer found Herrera and his dog, "Pawk."
"Pawk's right ear was bleeding, he was panting excessively, very lethargic and kept collapsing onto his side," charging documents state.
Herrera told the officer that Pawk and the other dog lived near each other "and did not get along, so they decided to let the dogs fight to see if it helped them get along," according to the charges.
When asked if the fight was recorded, Herrera told the officer they tried but the camera didn't have a memory card.
An arrest warrant for Herrera was issued Tuesday.
