LOWELL, Arkansas - Lowell Police arrested a man Wednesday after receiving reports that he had killed a dog with a dumbbell and left its body in a dumpster.
20-year-old Charles James Dugan was being held at the Benton County Jail on suspicion of felony aggravated cruelty to animals, according to jail records.
Lowell police were notified about the incident by a woman who had heard about Dugan killing the dog and dumping the animal, bloody clothes and carpet in a dumpster on McClure Avenue, the arrest report states. The dumpster is located in a trailer park.
Officers first found a bloody pillow, piece of carpet and ball cap in the dumpster, then after digging further they found the dog wrapped in an orange sheet along with a white button-up shirt.
The officers did not find Dugan at the address they were given and found out from neighbors that he had a new address at an apartment complex in Fayetteville, according to the report. One neighbor also brought up the dog and pointed officers to another witness.
That witness told officers he went to talk to Dugan about the dog after hearing he had killed it with a dumbbell. The witness said he talked to Dugan - who was rocking in a chair with a knife in his hand - about the incident and was told that the dog was put down in the back bedroom, according to the report.
The witness told officers he saw a blood trail and hair and a large amount of blood in the room.
Officers were told Dugan had the dog for about nine months and the animal had belonged to a friend who had passed away, according to the report.
After executing a search warrant, police found a 30-pound dumbbell in the bedroom and blood splatter on the ceiling and walls, the report states. They also found the area where a piece of carpet had been removed.
Jail records show Dugan's bond has not yet been set.
A map shows the Lowell Animal Shelter is about a four minute walk from where the dog was killed.
