Tennessee man charged in trash compactor killing of mom's dog
By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE (Reuters) - A Nashville man has been arrested on charges linked to the death of his mother's pet dog, a diminutive Shih Tzu that was dumped while still alive in the trash compactor of an apartment complex, Tennessee police said on Wednesday.
Security video from Feb. 21 showed Terrence Clark, 27, placing the dog in a grocery bag, putting the bag in the compactor, pushing the machine's button four times and then driving away, the Nashville Police Department said in a statement.
Firefighters rescued the animal after a resident of the Arbor Hills Apartments in southeast Nashville heard it "whimpering and barking inside the compactor," police said. The dog was rushed to a veterinarian but died four days later.
Clark was arrested on Tuesday and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, police said. He is being held on a $65,000 bond. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
It was also not clear if Clark and his mother lived at Arbor Hills. A woman who answered the phone at the complex's office said staff there had been told not to comment on the case. One-bedroom apartments at the complex rent for about $900 per month.
Police declined to provide any more details, and a local fire department spokesman did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
(Reporting by Tim Ghianni; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Tom Brown)
