DEARBORN COUNTY, Ind. -- Authorities arrested a man accused of hitting a dog on the head with a hammer and then shooting it, according to Prosecuting Attorney Lynn M. Deddens.
Joseph J. Stubbers III, of West Harrison, faces a cruelty to animals charge, Deddens said.
A neighbor called 911 on Saturday and said Stubbers was cleaning a garage with bleach after he hit the dog with a hammer, according to Deddens. When deputies arrived, another neighbor told them Stubbers had also shot the dog.
Deputies found a hose that was turned on and a bottle of bleach on top of a trash can. They also saw spots of blood and two .40 caliber rounds that had hair on them.
Deputies followed a trail of blood to the front of the house and found the dog on the porch with a “mutilated right eye” that was bleeding, Deddens said.
Stubbers told deputies the dog had attacked him and that he had to put it down. A deputy told Stubbers the dog was still alive, and Stubbers said the dog had latched onto his arm earlier and he hit him on the head with a hammer, according to Deddens. Stubbers did not have any marks on his arm.
The dog is in the care of a local veterinarian.
