(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
March 22, 2016 - 10:26 AM
KAMLOOPS - A local man is facing animal cruelty charges in court after he allegedly beat the family dog to death last Thanksgiving.
Christopher Gerald Mathes was charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal in October 2015 after B.C. SPCA investigators concluded their investigation into the Chihuahua-mix dog’s death. According to court documents, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court March 16.
According to a release from the B.C. SPCA, the incident occurred after the dog bit a family member, causing a small wound.
“Mathes allegedly took the dog outside and beat him repeatedly over the head with a four-foot long fence post,” Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer, says in the release. “The B.C. SPCA was alerted to the situation and found the dog buried in a cardboard box."
Jersey the dog was adopted by the family from a local rescue group. Moriarty says a necropsy showed the dog died from blunt force trauma caused by multiple blows to the head.
If convicted, the sentence for animal cruelty could include a fine up to $75,000, a five-year jail sentence or up to a lifetime ban on owning pets.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016