Somerset — A man who allegedly poisoned his pet dog in front of neighbors earlier this year saw his case dismissed in Pulaski District Court this week.
Robert Suttles, 50, of Somerset, was charged in August with torture of a dog or cat, which is a class D felony, in connection with a June incident in which he allegedly gave his pet dog, Bowser, antifreeze in front of neighbors. The dog reportedly died over a period of two days.
On Monday, Pulaski District Judge Jeffrey Lawless dismissed the case, which will proceed by indictment only.
According to state law, district court does not hold any jurisdiction over a felony case if the defendant has not been indicted within 60 days from the date of the preliminary hearing. By law, that case must be dismissed and the defendant released from jail if he or she has not posted bond already.
Suttles posted bond and was released from the Pulaski County Detention Center earlier this month.
The incident began on June 30 when Suttles, reportedly angry that his neighbors had called 911 emergency and law enforcement personnel repeatedly to report that he wasn’t feeding or watering Bowser, a Labrador mix, forced “a rolled up piece of bread which had to contain anti-freeze or some type of poison, down the dog’s throat,” according to the citation obtained from the Pulaski County courthouse.
According to that document, Bowser immediately “laid down and never got back up.”
The dog died on July 2, two days after the poisoning, after Suttles allegedly “kicked the dog in the head several times while it was ... dying,” according to the citation.
Suttles then dragged the dog to a burn barrel and burned it, according to the citation. It’s uncertain whether the dog was alive or dead when it was burned.
Suttles allegedly harassed his neighbors after the incident by driving up his driveway and barking.
Suttles’ felony charges can still be brought up, but only in the form of a grand jury indictment. If he were to be found guilty of the felony charge, Suttles would receive one to five years in jail and he would be required to forfeit any animals he may own. His future ownership of animals would also be restricted.
Harassment charges against Suttles are still proceeding through the court system, and motions connected with that case may be filed on Nov. 19 in Pulaski District Court.
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November 6, 2009
Dog torture case is dismissed
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Pulaski carries Girdler to win
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.” - Local Democrats diss Obama
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