DENVER — A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty nearly two years after a severely malnourished dog was found inside a cage filled with feces and held shut by five padlocks, according to an affidavit for his arrest.
William Vernon, 30, is charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty.
The then three-year-old pit bull was found inside an apartment in the 10700 block of East Dartmouth Avenue on April 3, 2020, after a strong odor was reported to be coming from an apartment.
The responding officer noted the smell was so bad, that he believed it was possible someone had died inside the apartment, the affidavit says. The apartment manager reported that they had been unable to contact the tenant, so the decision was made to allow maintenance to enter the unit.
They did so by drilling out the lock, the affidavit says.
Once inside, the officer noticed numerous health violations which included visible rotting food, the affidavit says.
The officer then spotted a small black and white dog in a cage that was standing up but not moving, the affidavit says. The officer said he first thought the dog was dead, but when he moved closer he could see the dog was alive, the affidavit says.
The officer said the dog could not sit down due to feces in the cage and the fact that the cage was too small for the animal. He reported that the dog did not react to his presence and appeared to be "distressed" and was shaking, according to the document.
No people were found in the apartment and animal control officers were called to assist.
Animal control officers noted that the cage had five padlocks on it and said that removing the animal from it at the current location would be "difficult". They decided to take the whole cage to the animal shelter where the dog could be examined and treated.
An initial exam showed the dog weighed just 41.2 pounds. A healthy weight is between 55 and 60 pounds, the affidavit says. Animal control officers said they could also feel the dog's bones and it appeared to have no discernable fat.
They estimated the dog may have been inside the cage with no food or water for two to three weeks, the affidavit says. It appeared, according to the affidavit, the dog may have been able to stick his head out of a small hole to eat trash that was inside the apartment near the cage.
An officer later went to the apartment to serve a warrant and encountered the tenant, identified as Vernon. He ran from officers, but during their brief contact said the dog was not his and instead belonged to a friend. The dog was microchipped which listed an owner with a different name.
That person contacted police on April 8 after he received a call from the microchip company, the affidavit says. According to the document, the man said he had lost the dog a while back and had posted fliers hoping to locate him.
He said he had not heard anything about the dog until he got the call from the microchip company and reported that he did not know Vernon.
Since being treated, the dog has been reunited with his owner and is reportedly doing extremely well with his recovery, according to a release from the district attorney's office.
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