Columbus man charged after wife’s dog was trampled to death

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – A Columbus woman is coping with the loss of her dog. She says she had to put her dachshund down after her husband trampled him to death.

“I never thought a human could be so cruel or do what he did to that poor dog,” said Jennifer Reese, a colleague of the dog owner.

Police say Charles Van Pelt, 26, is charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal for the incident – a felony that carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison, according to Georgia law.

“He expressed his dislike of Penny because he says his wife loved the dog more than she loved him,” Reese said.

Loren Van Pelt, owner of Penny and wife of Charles, didn’t want to relive the day and air her thoughts on camera. However, she says the day started like any other for the couple.

“He dropped her off at work, told her to have a good day, gave her a kiss, then left,” Reese said. “It was at noon. A few minutes after her arrival, her neighbors called her on her mobile phone to tell her that she had to go home.

In surveillance video provided by Van Pelt’s neighbor, who is Charles’s brother, you can briefly see the 26-year-old walking calmly to the dog’s kennel, cornering him and continuing to repeatedly trample the animal. occasions.

Less than 15 minutes later, Loren and her colleagues rush in to try to save the dog from the attack.

“He was standing there watching Penny grab and he pointed at Penny and said there’s your killer dog right there,” Reese recalled. “I automatically picked up Penny and took her to the vet.”

The dog survived the attack, but 30 hours later had to be put down, according to Reese.

“When I saw his face, he had no remorse,” Reese said. “He still has no remorse for what he did.”

According to court documents, Van Pelt is due back in court Thursday afternoon for a bail hearing.

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