Local authorities have accused a 49-year-old Sullivan City man of animal abuse after officers responded to a call of a crying puppy that suffered a skull and hip fracture, and bruised lungs.
The Sullivan City Police Department arrested Zenon Flores Jr. on July 24 on a charge of animal cruelty.
Officers received a call on April 12 to the Sullivan City residence where they made contact with Flores and advised him they were investigating the incident, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When asked about the dog, Flores said in Spanish that he got mad at the dog and threw it and it landed wrong, the affidavit further stated.
Officers noticed the dog was a puppy due to its size, and was shivering and bleeding from its mouth, had a swollen bump on its head and had a hard time keeping its head up.
Flores was then placed under arrest for animal cruelty, according to the affidavit.
Authorities proceeded to make contact with Flores’ uncle who provided a voluntary written statement in which he said he heard the dog scream when Flores hit the dog about three times because the dog peed on him.
When transported to the police department, Flores provided a written statement where he said he realized his shirt had urine on it after putting it on.
Flores blamed his dog and said he hit the dog three to four times, which resulted in the dog biting his left hand, causing Flores to become angrier, according to the charging document.
That’s when Flores kicked the dog, picked it up and threw it onto the ground as hard as he could, causing the dog to land wrong and cry in pain, the affidavit read.
Flores admitted to taking his anger out on the dog, noticed the swelling on the dog’s head and agreed when asked if the dog bit him in self defense.
He was released at the time due to the department being under construction and pending the animal cruelty charge, according to the affidavit.
The dog was taken to Pet Doctor 911 in McAllen where the X-rays taken showed the dog was suffering from a fractured skull and hip and bruised lungs.
Evidence was obtained for an arrest warrant against Flores, who remained jailed as of Sunday afternoon on a $5,000 bond, records show.
