A 24-year-old St. Thomas man is charged after a disturbing case of animal cruelty.
St. Thomas police launched an investigation on July 3 after getting reports of concern about the well-being of a dog. Investigators were told that around 9pm on that day, a man was seen walking a dog that had a noticeable limp. Not long after, the same man was seen near the CN tracks that run through the town. He was reportedly carrying a shovel.
Police were called to the scene and found a dead dog buried in a shallow grave.
"The female German Shepherd cross appeared to be malnourished and had what looked to be several fresh trauma wounds on the head," police said in a statement issued Thursday.
The body of the dog was sent to the University of Guelph Animal Health Lab for an autopsy, which determined the cause of death to be acute trauma to the skull. According to police, the man told neighbours that the dog had drowned.
On Tuesday, July 10 around 3:45pm, police arrested a 24-year-old man. He is charged with one count of Killing an Animal contrary to section 445(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada. He was released from custody with a future court date and prohibited from having any animals in his possession or care.