FAYETTEVILLE -- A man accused of drowning a dog last month pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony charge of aggravated cruelty.
Alex Allen Webb, 23, of 642 W. 15th St., was given a Sept. 30 trial date in Washington County Circuit Court.
Derry White told police when he came home June 6, Webb was soaking wet and Webb told him he had "done something," according to a preliminary arrest report. Webb and White went to the bathroom, where the dog named Happy was lying on his back. The dog was wet and appeared dead, according to the report.
White said Webb asked him to get a trash bag, but White refused to help and left the house to get the dog's owner, according to the report. Happy's owner was identified as Steven Grudzien.
White told police Webb previously told him the dog was possessed and had to die. White had taken the dog out of the house and put it in a trailer where he thought the dog would be safe, according to the report.
Officers said the floor of the bathtub had multiple scratch marks that appeared to those of "an animal that was struggling and panicked," according to the report.
Police weren't able to find Happy's body. Webb seemed "unconcerned" while speaking to police, according to the report.
Webb told police the dog ran away. Grudzien said he routinely left the back door open for Happy to come and go, but the dog had never run away, according to the report.
Webb's record includes a previous misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals in 2011. Webb "admitted that he had 'culled' a kitten and made a motion as if he were wringing its neck," according to the report. Webb was found guilty by a jury in Fayetteville District Court on Feb. 29, 2012, and sentenced to 60 days in jail.
NW News on 07/11/2015