PETA Demands Jail Time, Ban on Owning Animals if Alleged Dog Killer Is Convicted
Henry County Man Faces Cruelty Charges for Allegedly Slamming Dogs to the Ground, Beating Them to Death
For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2014
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Henry County resident Brandon Grant faces two counts of felony cruelty to animals stemming from his alleged repeated and systematic torture of five dogs in 2013, resulting in the deaths of at least two of the animals. Today, PETA sent an urgent letter to 12th Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Courtney Baxter calling on her to seek jail time for Grant as well as other punishment.
Over the course of several months, Grant allegedly bound the dogs, clamped their snouts with zip ties, bludgeoned them, and hurled them onto the concrete outside his home. Two of the dogs died, two survived, and a third is missing. Grant allegedly also threatened to kill a witness, his girlfriend—whom the dogs belonged to and who videotaped the abuse—if she spoke up. A neighbor has reportedly claimed to have witnessed Grant abusing one of the dogs, Bella, who died.
“If the witnesses’ accounts are true, Brandon Grant inflicted horrific pain and terror on these five dogs, who suffered immensely for months,” says PETA Director Martin Mersereau. “If he’s convicted, PETA is calling on the court to throw the book at this man and seek jail time, mandatory counseling, and—most critically—a lifelong ban on harboring any animals.”
For more information, please visit PETA.org. To view PETA’s anti-violence public service announcement featuring Inglourious Basterds star and Hostel director Eli Roth, please visit http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=eli_roth_
violence_link_psa_peta.
PETA’s letter to Commonwealth’s Attorney Courtney Baxter follows.
July 8, 2014
The Honorable Courtney T. Baxter
12th Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney
115 W. Main St.
La Grange, KY 40031
Dear Ms. Baxter:
PETA is an international animal-protection organization with more than 3 million members and supporters. This letter concerns a case of cruelty to animals that your office is handling involving Henry County resident Brandon Grant, 25, who faces felony cruelty-to-animals charges stemming from his alleged repeated and systematic torture of five dogs in 2013. Over the course of several months, Grant allegedly bound the dogs, clamped their snouts with zip ties, bludgeoned them, and hurled them onto the concrete outside his home. Reportedly, only two dogs survived this abuse. Grant allegedly also threatened to kill the witness, his girlfriend at the time, if she spoke up. He is scheduled to appear in court on these charges on Thursday.
As you likely know, mental-health professionals and top law-enforcement officials consider animal abuse to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of animal abuse in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. The link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence is undeniable, and the safety of the community may depend on a vigorous prosecution of this case. Please see the attached document for more information.
On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in Kentucky, we respectfully ask that if convicted, in addition to serving a period of incarceration, Grant be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling and anger-management classes at his own expense. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the malicious and violent nature of this case, we ask that, if convicted, the defendant be prohibited from owning animals (a common provision in such cases) for as long as possible.
Thank you for your time and consideration and for the difficult work that you do.
Sincerely yours,
Kristin Simon
Cruelty Casework Associate Manager
Cruelty Investigations Department
