A Texarkana, Ark., man accused of shooting a 15-year-old blue heeler was arrested earlier this month for aggravated animal cruelty.
Charles Shuttleworth, 35, was detained after Texarkana, Ark., police responded to a call in the 900 block of East 34th Street “due to him murdering the family dog,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
A woman living in the home told officers she was asleep when a loud noise awakened her and she found her dog, Lefty, lying in the floor in a pool of blood. The woman described Shuttleworth as “very intoxicated” and said he told her he shot the dog because it had an accident in the house earlier in the day which she had cleaned.
The woman allegedly reported that Lefty had “been blind for a few years but was otherwise very healthy and full of life.”
Shuttleworth allegedly shot Lefty five times with a 9 mm handgun. Animal control officials told officers that Lefty probably suffered as he bled to death as none of the wounds were immediately fatal.
On the way to the Miller County jail, Shuttleworth allegedly said, “Lefty was old and blind and wouldn’t stop running into shit.”
Shuttleworth is being held in the Miller County jail with bond set at $25,000. He is scheduled to appear in court July 14.
