A Fayetteville man is accused of using a dumbbell to kill a dog before dumping the animal in a dumpster earlier this week in Lowell.
Charles James Dugan, 20, faces a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals after Lowell police said they received information about 6:25 a.m. Wednesday from a woman who reported hearing of the dog's death.
While responding in the 400 block of McClure Avenue in Lowell, authorities initially located a pillow and piece of carpet, both covered in a large amount of blood and fluids, atop a dumpster, according to an affidavit.
Within about five minutes of searching through the dumpster, police found a dog wrapped in a bloodied orange sheet and white button-up shirt.
The dog had a black collar around its neck, though no tag or sign of identification was attached.
A witness told police that Dugan had spoken of the need to “put ‘Hugo’ down,” adding that Dugan had the dog for about nine months after its previous owner's death.
During a search Wednesday at a home in the 400 block of McClure Avenue, police found a 30-pound dumbbell as well as blood spatter on ceiling and walls in a bedroom. A section of carpet was also missing at the residence, authorities said.
Dugan, who was arrested Wednesday at an apartment in Fayetteville, remained at the Benton County jail as of Thursday morning.
He has a hearing scheduled for July 11 in Benton County Circuit Court, records show.