AR-News: (OK - US) Two teens arrested in case of setting a dog on fire

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Two teens arrested in cruelty case 
By MATT ELLIOTT World Staff Writer 
7/3/2004 


Police say they admitted setting a dog on fire, but they denied involvement 
in the alleged firecracker killings of puppies. 

Two Tulsa fraud detectives who were acting on a Crime Stoppers tip arrested 
two teenagers Friday in connection with an animal cruelty case that horrified 
the nation. 



During questioning, the two allegedly told police that they caught the black 
Labrador retriever-mix puppy, doused its back with lighter fluid and set it on 
fire, Sgt. Tony Cellino said. 

However, they denied having anything to do with the alleged firecracker 
killings of six other puppies, and investigators have been unable to verify that 
those killings occurred. 

Cellino and Cpl. Chris Stout were near Tulsa International Airport around 
noon Friday when they received a tip that led to the arrests of the two boys, one 
14 and the other 16, Cellino said. 

Officers began investigating the abuse Monday when a woman brought the 41/2
-month-old puppy, suffering from severe burns to her hindquarters, and a second 
dog to the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' office at 
2910 Mohawk Boulevard. 

She reportedly told animal control investigators that she heard a dog barking 
and found the Lab puppy in the area of Peoria Avenue and 62nd Street North. 
At a vacant house across the street, she saw a mother dog, allegedly with six 
dead puppies, she said. 

At least one looked like it had been killed with fireworks, Larry Briggs, the 
city's Animal Shelter director, said the woman told investigators. However, 
their bodies have not been found, nor did investigators find any evidence of 
such a crime at the scene, Briggs said. 

Officials said earlier this week that the six puppies had been blown apart by 
firecrackers. 

Laurie Mayes, executive director of the Tulsa SPCA, said Monday that the 
woman told workers that the mother dog "was found sitting with them (the dead 
puppies) and . . . encouraging them to get up." 

The two boys "were questioned with regard to the puppies, and they deny any 
involvement in that particular side of the investigation," Briggs said. "That 
strengthens our theory that we've actually got two different crimes that are 
not connected." 

Investigators, who interviewed the woman who reported the abuse, do not 
discount her story about the puppies, Briggs said. 

"We don't have any information to disprove or prove our complainant's story," 
Briggs said. 

But investigators canvassing the neighborhood found the owner of the mother 
dog, who told them that the dead puppies could not have belonged to her dog, 
who was not physically harmed in the attacks. 

"(The owner) tells us that her dog had 11 pups about a month ago" and that 
two of her offspring were still at the owner's home, Briggs said. The rest were 
given away. 

Investigators also uncovered a witness who claimed to have seen a dog on fire 
about 3 a.m. Sunday but not to have seen who did it, Briggs said. 

Authorities are still investigating the abuse, he said. 

"Credit goes to Tony Cellino and Chris Stout for followup on the Crime 
Stoppers tip this afternoon," Briggs said. 

The two detectives, who normally investigate forgery and fraud-related 
crimes, tracked the teenagers to their homes. They brought the juveniles to the 
Detective Division for questioning downtown with their mothers, Cellino said. 

The two juveniles each were jailed on one felony complaint of animal cruelty. 
They will remain in custody until a hearing Tuesday, Cellino said. 

Information from the Crime Stoppers tip and help from an anonymous business 
owner led him and Stout to the teenagers, the sergeant said. 

After national publicity about the fireworks incident, an $18,000 reward has 
been collected to find who abused the dogs. 

It was not clear Friday how the reward money would be disbursed after the 
arrests. 

Anyone with information on the puppies' deaths is asked to call Crime 
Stoppers at 596-COPS. 

The Citizens Crime Commission pays cash rewards for information leading to 
the arrest of people who are charged with crimes. Callers can be anonymous. 

Donations for the care of the surviving dogs or other abused animals can be 
made to the Tulsa SPCA at 428-7722, or online at www.tulsaspca.org. 




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