Photo Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Michael Justin WallAn East Brainerd man was charged with cruelty to animals this week after deputies allege he used a sledgehammer to kill his ailing dog.
Michael Justin Wall, 41, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies responded to a noise complaint Tuesday on the 9400 block of Seasons Drive around 3 a.m.
According to the affidavit, the complainant "heard three gunshots and heavy breathing from her backyard neighbor" before calling 911. Officers discovered an "unresponsive dog lying on the back porch."
Wall told deputies that "he had to put his dog down due to it suffering from seizures," according to the affidavit.
Wall tried using Tylenol PM to kill the dog, but when that didn't work, he then tried to suffocate the animal using a plastic bag, and when that also didn't work, he "bludgeoned it to death with a sledgehammer," according to the affidavit.
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Deputies then observed the animal on the back deck "lying in a pool of blood" with a sledgehammer and a plastic bag next to it, according to the affidavit.
Wall was held at Silverdale Detention Center, then released on a $5,000 bond.
- Compiled by La Shawn Pagán