A 37-year-old Colorado man was arrested Thursday in connection with the dragging death of a dog at Colorado National Monument.
A release from the monument said rangers arrested Steven Clay Romero, of Grand Junction, Colorado,at approximately 12:25 p.m. in Mesa County (Colorado) Courthouse. Mr. Romero was charged initially with a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, the release said.
Park rangers believe the man took the dog, Buddy, a German Shepherd-Blue Heeler mix, stolen by others from Delta, Colorado, to Colorado National Monument in the early morning hours of December 30 and attached him to his truck and dragged him for 2 miles up the west hill of Rim Rock Drive with a rope tied around the dog's neck. The dog died of strangulation and was dumped at the roadside, the park said. A National Park Service employee discovered the gruesome scene at 4:30 a.m. on December 30.
A crime tip line was initiated and the tips received were key in leading park rangers and other law enforcement personnel to the suspect. Mr. Romero was appearing in court in Grand Junction on Thursday on other, unrelated, charges and was arrested as he exited the courtroom, the park release said.
The investigation is continuing and additional information will be provided when it becomes available.
Comments
They say that cream rises to the top; well, so does scum. Just think, right now he's fouling up someone's nice clean jail. This man is well on his way down the Road to Perdition, and I hope he will be doomed to picking up all its roadkill. (I could think of stronger curses but generally this is a civilized forum.)
Let me take care of Romero. I have a pickup.
The punishment should be EQUAL to the suffering of the animal. Tie him to the back of a car and drive faster and faster up the hill and drag him to his death. Let him feel the terror and pain the animal felt at his hand. We have been far to forgiving to people who harm animals. I believe in equal abuse for those who abuse animals.
Folks, some of the comments to this story are starting to push the envelope, so we're going to put a halt to them. While we all agree this was an atrocious, despicable incident, let's let the legal process run its course.