PHILIPSBURG–A group of concerned citizens gathered outside the police headquarters on Monday morning after a photo showing a vehicle dragging a dog circulated on social media site Facebook last week.
Animal rights group Animal Defenders called on the community to come out and gather outside the police station at 11:00am Monday.
The vehicle with licence plate M9370 was seen driving in Philipsburg with a dog tied to the vehicle’s trunk and dragged throughout the streets. The photo was shared on Facebook more than 200 times and protesters demanded that police investigate the incident.
Animal Defenders representative Mercedes de Windt told The Daily Herald the group had filed an official complaint with the police and it is now up to detectives to find the driver of the vehicle and bring him to justice for his cruel actions.
“It is a crime and animals have rights and if nothing is done about it, this will just go unnoticed and will continue. This must stop,” she said after the complaint was filed.
She added that the case is in the hands of police and when that is over, the prosecutor will have to decide about criminal charges against the person.
“We will follow this case closely and we hope that justice will be served in this matter,” she said. Protesters stood outside the building while the official complaint was being filed by the representatives.
Police spokesman Chief Inspector Ricardo Henson said the police will investigate the incident and said he would not go into details of the complaint until after detectives finished their investigation.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72981-protesters-file-complaint-against-dog-dragging-abuser
This is truly cruel and inhumane and must be punished quickly and severely. Swift and serious consequences serve as a deterrent and someone capable of such a crime is a danger to animals and possibly other citizens.