COLUMBUS, Ga. — A judge refused to set bond Monday for a Georgia man accused of murdering his wife’s dog.
Charles Van Pelt is accused of driving his wife to work before coming home, trapping his wife’s pet dachshund in its pen and then stomping on it until it died, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. Van Pelt is now charged with felony animal cruelty.
While the dog was killed Jan. 5, Van Pelt wasn’t arrested until later, after a friend of his wife saw surveillance video showing the crime and alerted police, The Associated Press reported. Video from a neighbor’s camera allegedly shows the animal being stomped on and hit with a heavy glass bowl.
One of Van Pelt’s wife’s co-workers told the Ledger-Enquirer that Van Pelt claimed the dachshund was injured during a fight with another dog, a 16-year-old chihuahua, but that the two dogs had shared a kennel for years and had never been aggressive with one another.
Van Pelt’s wife moved out of their home and took her other three dogs with her, the AP reported. During Monday’s hearing, The Associated Press reported Van Pelt was in medical isolation and was not able to respond to the accusations.