NEW BOSTON, Texas–A New Boston man has been charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly shooting a woman’s dog and hiding it in a wooded area following a verbal argument, according to court documents filed this week in Bowie County.
Charles Mitchell “Mitch” Patton Jr., 31, is accused of retaliating against a former girlfriend following an argument by killing her dog last month, according to a probable cause affidavit. Patton allegedly told a friend that he had shot the animal twice because it was still alive, “quivering and shivering,” following the first shot.
The dog’s death was reported May 10, after it was found dead in a wooded area near the woman’s residence in New Boston. The woman reported that while in jail on an unrelated charge, Patton allegedly admitted to her via “jail mail” that he had killed her dog and provided a screenshot of the alleged confession to investigators.
Patton is currently being held in the Bowie County jail on an animal cruelty charge and faces two to ten years in prison if convicted. Patton has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting of the dog and faces two to ten years if convicted of that charge.
Patton is also being held for a parole violation, court records show. He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 for punching a 14-year-old African-American boy in the face because of the boy’s race. While in custody on that charge, Patton was charged with an additional felony for having a cell phone in the Bowie County jail.
