Lovers spat results in Chihuahua thrown, stomped
A Killona man faces felony animal cruelty charges after the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office alleges he threw a 6-pound dog against a wall and “stomped” on him last Monday.
Rashard C. Poche, 37, was apparently arguing with his girlfriend, who was watching the 6-pound Chihuahua named Jojo, for a relative. A Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Poche became angry with the dog’s barking and threw it against a wall and then subsequently stomped on him.
“I just imagine this really angers a lot of people, a lot of animal lovers, when you have a pet that can’t defend themselves,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange said.
Jojo was treated at Riverlands Animal Hospital for head trauma and neck injuries until it was determined his injuries were untreatable. He was euthanized.
The Sheriff’s Office sought help from the community locating Poche last Thursday, and he was eventually arrested on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty that evening. Poche was released after posting $280 in bail money.
After receiving additional information from the veterinarian that treated Jojo, and consulting with the St. Charles District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office sought a new warrant on federal anti-cruelty charges. Judge Emile St. Pierre signed the new warrant and Poche was arrested again Friday evening.
Poche remains in custody under a $40,000 bond.Following the attack, members of the community in LaPlace rallied to help the dog with a GoFundMe.com account. In less than a day, the account received more than the funds needed to pay the $1,500 in costs associated with treating and cremating Jojo.
According to the GoFundMe account description, the owner of the dog was “devastated and hysterical” upon discovering the dog was at the animal hospital, and that it “took some time for the staff to calm her down.” The same account alleged the dog attack sprang from a fight between the owner’s niece and her boyfriend.
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