911 Call of Report on Dogs Beaten With Baseball Bat
By: Lauren Trager, KARK 4 News
Updated: September 5, 2012
KARK obtained a dramatic 911call of a witness reporting a man beating two dogs with a baseball bat in Conway.
We want to warn you, some of the sounds and photos in this story may be disturbing.
But it's evidence like it that prosecutors say can help them get a felony conviction in cases like this.
About 10:30 Thursday morning a passing jogger calls 911, shocked by what he's seeing.
"Yes ma'am I just saw this guy come and beat the living crap out of this dog with a baseball bat," he says on the tape.
The witness tells dispatch he's at a home on East German lane.
It seems the beating lasts at least five full minutes.
"Oh he just hit the damn dog again. Hey, hey!" you can hear him say.
At one point in the call you can hear the witness try to confront the man with the bat.
"Why are you beating those dogs man?" he calls to him.
He tells dispatch the man's reply.
"He said he is trying to put them down. But he went with a baseball bat in the pen and beat the crap out of them. Oh my God, I can't believe I saw this," the witness said.
But before police can arrive the witness tells dispatch the man has driven away, dogs in tow.
Animal officers on scene, though, took pictures of blood inside and around the dog pen.
Tuesday, Conway police arrested Michael Woole for the beatings.
"You never want to see a creature treated this way, there's just no excuse for it," said Faulkner County Prosecutor Cody Hiland.
Hiland says he thinks the facts of this case are so extreme, they warranted two felony level animal cruelty charges, meaning the person responsible could go to prison.
The law, he says, strictly defines felony animal cruelty as torture that causes a dog cat or horse prolonged pain, injury, or death.
But the number of arrests are relatively low.
In 2011, 13 people in the state were charged with the crime.
So far this year, the number is 21.
But with 11 exceptions to the law, including caveats for "humanely killing" an animal, it's ultimately up to a judge or jury to decide what's what.
"You have to meet the criteria under the law and sometimes that's subjective," said Hiland.
But the witness to the beating told KARK's Lauren Trager off camera Wednesday he knows what he saw. to get justice for the dogs, he says he's looking forward to testifying in court.
We spoke with Michael Woole, the man accused of the crime. He declined to comment on camera and wouldn't even tell us who is attorney is, but he did say it would all come out in court.
Of course, we'll keep you updated.
We want to warn you, some of the sounds and photos in this story may be disturbing.
But it's evidence like it that prosecutors say can help them get a felony conviction in cases like this.
About 10:30 Thursday morning a passing jogger calls 911, shocked by what he's seeing.
"Yes ma'am I just saw this guy come and beat the living crap out of this dog with a baseball bat," he says on the tape.
The witness tells dispatch he's at a home on East German lane.
It seems the beating lasts at least five full minutes.
"Oh he just hit the damn dog again. Hey, hey!" you can hear him say.
At one point in the call you can hear the witness try to confront the man with the bat.
"Why are you beating those dogs man?" he calls to him.
He tells dispatch the man's reply.
"He said he is trying to put them down. But he went with a baseball bat in the pen and beat the crap out of them. Oh my God, I can't believe I saw this," the witness said.
But before police can arrive the witness tells dispatch the man has driven away, dogs in tow.
Animal officers on scene, though, took pictures of blood inside and around the dog pen.
Tuesday, Conway police arrested Michael Woole for the beatings.
"You never want to see a creature treated this way, there's just no excuse for it," said Faulkner County Prosecutor Cody Hiland.
Hiland says he thinks the facts of this case are so extreme, they warranted two felony level animal cruelty charges, meaning the person responsible could go to prison.
The law, he says, strictly defines felony animal cruelty as torture that causes a dog cat or horse prolonged pain, injury, or death.
But the number of arrests are relatively low.
In 2011, 13 people in the state were charged with the crime.
So far this year, the number is 21.
But with 11 exceptions to the law, including caveats for "humanely killing" an animal, it's ultimately up to a judge or jury to decide what's what.
"You have to meet the criteria under the law and sometimes that's subjective," said Hiland.
But the witness to the beating told KARK's Lauren Trager off camera Wednesday he knows what he saw. to get justice for the dogs, he says he's looking forward to testifying in court.
We spoke with Michael Woole, the man accused of the crime. He declined to comment on camera and wouldn't even tell us who is attorney is, but he did say it would all come out in court.
Of course, we'll keep you updated.
Comments
so if he was in pain and wanted the pain to end we can take a baseball bat and end his suffering, i bet he wouldnt agree with that decision
lloyd b.
September 6, 2012 at 6:39 am
