Arrests were made in two unrelated animal cruelty cases reported in Preston County over the weekend, one in Masontown on July 12 and the other in Tunnelton on July 14.
On July 12, Preston County deputies received a call regarding a dog that had been wounded by its owner.
According to one criminal complaint, the caller was able to send a picture of a dog showing blood all over its face and bedding. The caller also had a text from the dog’s owner, identified as James Robert Johnston Sr., 58, of Masontown, stating that the dog went to the bathroom in the house so he “gave her a lesson and she does need stitches across the bridge of her nose and I’m not taking her nowhere she can suffer for all I give a s—.”
Sgt. J.C. Farling went to Johnston’s Plum Hill Terrance residence, where Johnston allegedly told the officer that he had hit the dog with a shovel.
Farling reported the dog had a severe cut across her snout and had blood on her and her bedding. The officer also saw a short-handled shovel on the ground next to the kennel.
According to the complaint, Johnston told Farling he was going to take the dog to the vet; however, the officer noted that it had been four hours since the incident occurred, and Johnston had just started watching a movie on TV.
Johnston was charged with animal cruelty. Farling said the wound to the dog constitutes mistreatment of an animal in a cruel manner and neglecting to take the dog to the vet when he knew she needed stitches shows withholding medical treatment.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Johnston was in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $5,000 bond.
On July 14, West Virginia State Police responded to a call reporting a man, identified as Scott Allen Shahan, 48, of Tunnelton, was trying to hang a cat on a tree branch.
According to that complaint, while en route to the scene, Troopers Hovatter and Nuse were flagged down by the callers who said they saw Shahan trying to pull a sign out the ground and noticed a cat was hanging by its neck from a tree branch behind him.
They said Shahan eventually ran off after they confronted him and they were able to save the cat.
The troopers saw markings around the neck of the small white cat. The callers also showed them a charging cord and two metal bracelets, which they said were wrapped around the cat’s neck, suspending it to where it could not touch the ground.
When leaving the scene, Shahan was seen running north on W.Va. 26 toward Albright. Troopers soon received a call from Preston County 911 dispatch that Shahan had run into the National Guard Armory on 26 and was fighting with the soldiers on the property, the complaint said.
The troopers said Shahan allowed them to detain him, but soon became aggressive and began threatening them.
Shahan was charged with animal cruelty and is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail with a $50,000 bond for this crime.
The cat was picked up by a Preston County animal warden.
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