HOT SPRINGS -- A Hot Springs man was arrested Friday on a felony charge after, an affidavit said, he threw knives at his girlfriend's puppy, wounding the dog in two places.
Brandon Dewayne Ragsdale, 27, whose address is listed on Quail Run Lane, was taken into custody shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday on a charge of aggravated cruelty to a dog, punishable by up to six years in prison. He was later released on $2,500 bond and is set to appear July 11 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, Ragsdale's girlfriend had asked him to take her new 6-month-old lab mix, Bear, outside to urinate. She told Hot Springs police that she heard Ragsdale yell loudly at the puppy and a commotion. She said she saw him running after the puppy through the house and into the yard.
She said she headed to the door of the residence to see what the commotion was about when she heard a loud yelp and then crying coming from the dog, according to the affidavit. The puppy ran back onto the porch, bleeding profusely from his back leg, she said.
The girlfriend told police that she and Ragsdale began to argue, and she became fearful he was going to hit her. He admitted that he threw a knife at the puppy, but failed to give her a reason, according to the affidavit. She told officers that Ragsdale has a history of anger issues and "goes into a rage on occasion."
Officer Jason Greene and Cpl. Kirk Zaner arrived at the scene as Ragsdale attempted to leave with his grandfather. Greene spoke with Ragsdale, who gave him a 3-inch knife from his pocket.
Greene observed a trail of blood from the yard leading up to the patio ramp and into the home. Inside, the girlfriend tried to stop the bleeding with "blood-soaked rags." Zaner rushed the dog to an area veterinarian's office, where the veterinarian discovered the dog had two separate stab wounds on his leg, one interior and one exterior, according to the affidavit.
The wound on the outside of the dog's leg had to be repaired with a staple.
After his arrest, Ragsdale admitted to throwing the knife at the puppy.
The affidavit notes, "The legitimacy of the statement is in question due to the multiple wounds suffered by the animal."
State Desk on 07/05/2017