NewsLocal News

Actions

South Jordan man charged for allegedly abusing, killing 8-month-old family puppy

Posted at 4:03 PM, May 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-15 18:03:07-04

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – A South Jordan man has been charged for allegedly beating his puppy on multiple occasions, resulting in the animals death.

Michael Anthony Fario, 25, was charged with torture of a companion animal and obstruction of justice for the incident, which happened on March 24.

According to a statement of probable cause, officers responded to a call from a family member who said that Fario had killed their dog, and had put the animal in the trash can.

“The complainant described seeing and hearing Michael beat the dog on multiple occasions,” the statement said.

Police said that during the alleged beatings of the dog, Fario would hit the animal more than would be acceptable in typical canine training or discipline.

On one instance, the complainant told officers that after not seeing the dog for a “few days,” the family became uneasy. The complainant reviewed surveillance footage and said that Fario could be seen coming into the house with a white bag that appeared to have the dog inside it.

When interviewed by police, Fario stated that the dog had stayed in its’ kennel for several days, would not eat or drink, and appeared lethargic.

“The complainant said Michael first told them the dog had run away when he opened the door, but later said that he had given the dog back to the person he got it from,” the probable cause statement said.