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SALT LAKE CITY — Charges were filed Friday against a man accused of severely injuring a puppy.
Marvin Javier Lopez, 24, of Millcreek, was charged in 3rd District Court with torture of a companion animal and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, both third-degree felonies.
On Feb. 7, a man in Lopez’s apartment was awakened to the sound of “Lopez beating the small black lab puppy,” according to charging documents.
The man “heard the dog screaming in pain in the bathroom” and later saw the dog was bleeding and there was blood on the walls as well as Lopez’s feet, the charges state.
The man grabbed Lopez’s gun that was next to his nightstand “because he was scared of what would happen,” and then woke up his niece and left the apartment, according to the charges.
When officers arrived, they found the puppy on the floor “unable to move his hind legs,” the chargers state. The dog was also lethargic and had a lot of saliva coming from his mouth, the charges state, and was possibly in shock.
Responding officers stated the puppy was about 5 months old and beaten “nearly to death,” according to a police affidavit.
A veterinarian determined the dog was possibly “choked,” however “given the history of being kicked and punched cannot rule out pulmonary contusions as cause,” the charges state.
The vet also found “THC toxicity” in the puppy and police noted there was a “strong odor” or marijuana in Lopez’s apartment when he was arrested.
Unified police on Friday said the puppy recovered and was adopted by another family.
