Leitchfield Teen Charged With Animal Cruelty For Dragging Dog To Death Behind Truck, Also Faces Meth Charges

Edmonson Voice Staff Report
Edmonson County Sheriff's Deputy Jordan Jones was unsure of what he might find when he received a call of a 1999 Ford F250 pickup truck traveling on the highway that was dragging a dog with a rope. He said what he found was "sickening."

Jones said the call came in from an off-duty Bowling Green Police officer that got behind the Ford truck in Oakland who attempted to stop it. The off-duty officer said that because he was not in a police vehicle, he couldn't get the driver to pull over, the truck sped away and the officer lost sight. 

The officer was able to contact a Smiths Grove Police officer who then joined the search for the vehicle and the officers said they were able to locate the pickup truck by following the trail of blood coming from the dragged dog.

The officers were able to stop the man, Calvin Dennis (19) of Leitchfield, at the Chalybeate Fire Department where Deputy Jones met them.

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Calvin Dennis (19) Leitchfield. (Hart Co Jail)

​Deputy Jones reported the man first said that the dog was in the bed of the truck and must have fallen out, with the leash getting wrapped around the axle without the man knowing, but Jones said the dog's rope was tied to the hitch of the truck and soon Dennis changed his story.

According to the deputy, Dennis said he had gotten into an altercation with another male and admitted to taking a pain pill. Dennis said he was angry and took off in the truck, apparently forgetting he had tied his dog to the hitch earlier in the day.

Photos of the deceased German Shepherd/Boxer mix were far too graphic to publish.

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Jones said after administering field sobriety tests, it was determined that Dennis was under the influence of more than just a pain pill. Suspected meth was found in the driver's side door of the truck along with what appeared to be a piece of a glass pipe used to snort the drug.

Jones said Dennis then admitted to snorting meth earlier.

Calvin Dennis was charged with:

• Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, first offense
• Possession of controlled substance, first degree (meth)
• Drug Paraphernalia Buy-Possess
• Torture Dog/Cat with serial physical injury or death

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Deputy Jones has led the effort to add a K9 unit to the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office and will be the handler of the K9 when the purchase is made. Various community campaigns are currently in the works to add "Tango," a 15 month-old German Shepherd to the office.

"This was a sickening case to work," Deputy Jones said. "It was simply a horrible thing to see. This is just one awful thing that can happen when someone decides to drive under the influence. This defenseless animal had to suffer a great deal for absolutely no reason."

Dennis was transported to the Hart County Jail.