Philip Wells
An East Ridge man was taken into custody after being charged with taping a dog’s mouth shut and suffocating the animal.
On March 17, police responded to an animal cruelty report at Cross Creek Drive. An officer spoke to the dog’s owner, who said he had left the animal with his grandfather. The owner told police that his grandfather knew what killed his dog.
Police spoke to the grandfather, who said one of his other grandsons had told him the dog had run away. Police spoke to another witness, who had been living with the grandfather and the suspect Philip Wells, 21.
The witness told police he saw Wells duct tape the dog’s snout “air-tight shut” and strangled the dog by sitting on him. The witness said he did not know when it exactly happened, but said it had occurred a month and a half prior.
The grandfather said Wells had moved out and was living in a trailer in East Ridge. Police said Wells turned himself in on Wednesday and was taken to the county jail. He is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.