2 charged after death of dog dragged 5 miles behind truck

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) – Authorities have arrested one Evansville man and issued an arrest warrant for another after the death of a dog that was dragged for more than five miles behind a pickup truck.

The Great Dane mix named Hank had been tied by its leash to the rear bumper of the truck Tuesday by a man upset that the dog had urinated and defecated inside his mobile home, a probable cause affidavit said. That man, 44-year-old Jamie L. McFarland, was arrested Wednesday and faces a preliminary charge of torturing or mutilating an animal.

An arrest warrant issued Thursday charges a 24-year-old man with four counts of animal cruelty, intimidation and attempted interference with the reporting of a crime, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said.

McFarland was not in the truck when several people called 911 to report the dog being dragged behind the truck, investigators said.

After a female motorist eventually cut off the truck, forcing it to stop, the truck’s river threatened her, untied the dog’s body from the bumper and drove off, the affidavit said. She took photos of the truck’s license plate and the driver’s arm, which has a distinctive tattoo, the affidavit said.

The dog belonged to a third man who was supposed to be house-sitting for McFarland, the affidavit said. That man reportedly told deputies that a relative died on Monday and he left the home to take care of family affairs.

McFarland was being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on a $5,000 cash of $50,000 surety bond. Online jail records did not indicate whether he had an attorney who might comment on his behalf.