BATTLE CREEK (WKZO-AM) — A Battle Creek man has been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and felony killing or torturing of an animal after allegedly clubbing a husky with an aluminum baseball bat, then shooting the dog in the head with a pellet gun at his home on Bennett Street.
David Hursley, 54, who has eight felony convictions and 20 misdemeanors on his record, was also charged as a habitual offender, which could greatly increase his sentence if he is found guilty.
Hursley told police the dog had bitten his friend’s hand just before 9 p.m. Tuesday and he used the bat to get the animal away. An autopsy is planned to determine just how many times the dog was struck.
One of the responding officers felt the dog was so badly injured that a decision was made to put the animal down.
That decision later yielded criticism, prompting Major Jim Grafton of the Battle Creek Police Department to respond, saying in a press release that many officers also love dogs and it’s a difficult decision, but, when an animal is badly injured and in pain, sometimes it’s the most humane thing to do.
Bond for Hursley was set at $10,000.
– John McNeill
