Somerset —

A Pulaski County man was arrested on animal cruelty charges this week after he allegedly tortured and killed a young puppy — in the presence of several children — earlier this month. Larry Benjamin “Benji” Caudill was arrested Monday by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department after he allegedly mutilated a six-month-old Jack Russell Terrier puppy and then killed it. The sheriff’s department said the incid-ent happened on Sunday, Aug. 8, at a residence on Ky. 235 in Nancy, and once investigators arrived on the scene, they discovered Caudill had allegedly “taken the six-month-old puppy and cut off its tail with an ordinary knife in the presence of children in the home.” Pulaski County Sheriff Todd Wood could not say how many children were present at the time of the incident, but he confirmed more than one child was there when the puppy died. After Caudill reportedly cut the pup’s tail off, he then “squeezed the puppy in one hand and threw or slammed it against concrete steps at the residence,” according to the sheriff’s department. “The puppy bounced off the steps and into the front yard where it was retrieved by one of the children and (it) died shortly thereafter,” the press release from the sheriff’s department continued. Wood said Caudill gave a brief statement about why he tortured and killed the small-breed puppy. “He gave very weak reasoning about his actions,” Wood said. “He claimed the animal was sick and he didn’t have the money to take the animal to the vet for treatment.” Wood did not know what the name of the puppy was, but it was a pet of one of the children who resided in the home. The children are currently living with another family member “away from that environment,” according to the sheriff’s department. Investigators consulted a veterinarian after the incident, who allegedly told them that many people choose to cut off or “dock” the tail of a Jack Russell — but only in the first five days after birth, which is before the tail bone develops. “For the tail to be cut off a six month old puppy would be considered very painful and torturous,” stated the press release. Wood said the name of the veterinarian is being withheld as the investigation continues. Caudill’s reported actions fall within the Romeo’s Law guidelines, which was passed by state lawmakers in 2008 and named after the Labrador retriever named Romeo. That case drew statewide attention after Romeo’s owner was videotaped body slamming, kicking and rolling a doghouse over the dog. Caudill was charged with torture of a cat or dog with serious injury or death, which is a Class D felony. He was lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash bond.