Man charged with animal cruelty

Published 5:30 am Friday, December 9, 2016

By Melanie Ruberti

Melanie.ruberti@lagrangenews.com

 

Man charged with animal cruelty

 

Public Safety Reports

 

 

Officers with the LaGrange-Troup County Animal Control unit discovered three pit bull dogs living in inhumane conditions behind a house in the 900 block of Dunson Street on Wednesday.

 

Officers found two unregistered dogs illegally tethered in a back yard without food, water or shelter, a police report stated. Another pit bull was discovered inside a small wire cage.

 

Animal control officers also determined the house was vacant and all the utilities were shut off to the residence, according to the report.

 

Officers were able to find the previous tenant who admitted the three dogs were his, the report read.

 

The owner was issued three citations for having unregistered pit bulls, two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of tethering, a report stated.

 

Officials also learned this was not the first time the man was allegedly investigated by law enforcement officers for cruelty to animals, according to the police report.

 

Animal control officers took custody of all three dogs and transported them to the shelter.

 

Burglary

 

A homeowner discovered someone broke into his home in the 400 block of East Bacon Street about 12:30 a.m. on Thursday.

 

The man told LaGrange police officers the suspect stole a brand new 42-inch Sony flat screen television.

 

The homeowner claimed he spotted the thief as he walked out the back of his home and watched him place the TV in the backseat of a car, according to the police report.

 

The cost of the television was estimated at $600.

 

Entering auto & theft

 

A woman told LaGrange police someone broke into her Honda Accord and stole items from her car while it was outside a house in the 500 block of Hines Street.

 

The victim stated the incident happened sometime between 11 p.m. on Tuesday and 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the report read.

 

The woman noticed her bank card and Garmin GPS device was missing from the car, according to the report.

 

There was also significant damage done to the car’s steering column, stated the report.

 

The estimated cost of repairs and to replace the items taken was about $551.

Police are investigating.

Shoplifting

A man was arrested by LaGrange Police officers just minutes after allegedly shoplifting several items from the Walmart at 803 New Franklin Road about 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

 

The man was spotted by a witness running from the store up a hill towards Colonial Street, the police report read.

 

LaGrange police officers caught up with the alleged shoplifter walking on Russell Street. They arrested the man and during a search found two cellphones, a cord, drink and seven gift cards on his person, according to the report.

 

When officers retraced the path the shoplifter took from Walmart, they also discovered a wireless speaker lying in the front yard of a home, the report stated.

 

The estimated value of all the items was close to $500.

 

The man was charged with theft by shoplifting and taken to the Troup County Jail.

All information in this report is gathered from official law enforcement and public safety reports and releases. It is the policy of the Daily News to list the names of people charged with felonies.

Reach the LaGrange Daily News at 706-884-7311.