UPDATE Saturday, May 27, 2017
The 4-month-old dog appeared to have received serious injuries from the beating; Animal Control officers took the dog to a local shelter.
A Yucca Valley man was arrested Wednesday, accused of kicking and beating his dog. According to a Sheriff’s report, a witness saw Charles Lathrop, 60, walking on Barberry Avenue kicking a white German shepherd puppy. The witness stated Lathrop was stumbling and appeared to be drunk or high. When the deputy arrived to the 7200 block of Barberry Avenue, Lathrop was seen holding the dog down while he struck it several times with a closed fist. The report states the puppy was crying and trying to get away from the beating. Lathrop admitted to the deputy that he hit the dog about 20 times because he was detoxing off heroin. Charles Lathrop was arrested for investigation of felony animal abuse, booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, with his bail set at $50,000.
