A man accused of starving a dog to death has been charged with felony animal cruelty.
Edward W. Downs, 26, of the 5300 block of Lewis Avenue, was charged with knowingly causing serious physical harm to animal, according to Toledo Municipal Court records. He was taken into custody on Thursday, though records indicate the incident occurred in January.
The Toledo Area Humane Society filed the charges in March after an investigation. Stephen Heaven, president and chief executive of the humane society, said Mr. Downs brought the severely emaciated female “pit bull” to the agency’s Maumee shelter, claiming to have found it abandoned in an alley off East Broadway Street.
“We gave her fluids and tried to save her, and she started having seizures,” Mr. Heaven said. “We thought we’d stabilized her and she died overnight.”
A necropsy determined she died of severe malnutrition and dehydration. Mr. Heaven said her stomach contained only pieces of plastic and other debris.
A microchip led investigators to a prior owner, whose ex-husband retained the dog after divorce. That man then gave her to a friend, who later gave her to Mr. Downs, Mr. Heaven said.
“Every time we spoke to him, it was a different story,” Mr. Heaven said. “None of his stories ever panned out.”
He said the agency obtained a search warrant for Mr. Downs’ residence and found a large dog crate with dried blood inside, and a subsequent DNA test matched DNA from a tissue sample of the deceased dog. Mr. Heaven said the canine had a number of bloody pressure sores and evidently been confined to the crate for a long time without food or water.
Mr. Downs’ bond was set as his own recognizance and he was ordered not to own any more animals while the case is pending, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Blade staff writer Kate Snyder contributed to this report.
First Published May 3, 2019, 8:24 p.m.
