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AMERICAN FORK — A man who police say left his dog chained up inside a garage for two months and would beat it when he got angry has been arrested in American Fork following a domestic violence investigation.
The 27-year-old man was arrested Aug. 31 and charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony; and making a threat of violence, causing property damage, and five counts of contacting his victim while in jail, all class B misdemeanors.
The investigation began Aug. 31 when police received a report of a man chasing a woman down the street and yelling at her to stop, according to charging documents. As officers sorted out what was going on, they learned that the man had allegedly thrown the woman's phone against a wall, breaking it, and she ran from the home fearing for her safety, the charges state.
As the investigation progressed, police found the family's 1-year-old dog had been hit by the man "numerous times with a metal broomstick, leaving the dog with a bloody and swollen eye" and that "the defendant hit the dog hard enough that the broomstick was bent and broken," according to the charges.
He allegedly told the woman "it would be worse for her and the dog if she did not return to the residence," the charges state.
Police learned that the dog "had been chained in the garage for about two months" and that when the man became angry, "he would go out and beat the dog," charging documents state. The chain holding the dog was so corroded that bolt cutters were needed to set the dog free.
The dog was taken to a local shelter for treatment. Charging documents do not say what breed the dog is.
After the man was booked into jail, police say he called the woman at least five times despite a restraining order being in place.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
