A Logan County man allegedly stabbed a dog to death earlier this month.
Michael Lloyd Chafin, 63, of Holden, was charged with felony animal cruelty this week, according to a criminal complaint filed in Logan County Magistrate Court. He allegedly killed MooMoo, a 1-year-old dachshund that weighed about 10 pounds.
On Nov. 3, State Police Senior Trooper Marcus Broadwater responded to a report that Chafin had killed a stray dog. The trooper found a trap near Chafin's residence in the Coolidge Avenue area, and found a trap that the local dog pound had set up to catch stray dogs.
Broadwater saw blood in and around the trap, and thought it looked like someone had tried to wash the blood away.
He found Chafin, who allegedly admitted to stabbing a dog to death, but said it was a 40- to 50-pound Rottweiler mix that had killed his cat. Chafin allegedly told Broadwater he dumped the dog by the river; Broadwater could not find the dog.
A couple of days later, Joel Blaisdell told the trooper that he found his dachshund dead about 30 feet from the dog trap. Based on photos of the dead dog, the trooper wrote in the complaint, he believed the dog was killed by a knife wound.
Heather Severt, West Virginia director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she was concerned that the busy Logan County prosecutor's office would accept a plea in the case, which she said is common in animal cruelty cases.
She said she hoped that media attention would encourage stricter punishment and encouraged the public to respectfully reach out to the prosecutor's office. She said she wouldn't typically enlist the public's help, but she felt the case was strong, since Chafin allegedly admits premeditation in his recorded confession.
"We want nothing other than for them to know this is something the community does not condone, it gives them great concern and they support and encourage the felony charge," Severt said.
Those convicted of felony animal cruelty can face one to five years incarceration and a fine of $1,000 to $5,000. Those convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty may be confined in jail not longer than 6 months, and face a $300 to $2,000 fine.
Broadwater was not available to discuss the case Thursday.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.