Bend resident charged with punching, kicking dog

A Bend man was arrested in La Pine early Sunday and his dog seized under a search warrant, to be checked and treated for injuries, after witnesses twice reported seeing him kicking and punching his dog in a southeast Bend parking lot.

He later denied the allegations to NewsChannel 21.

Officers were dispatched just after 9 a.m. Friday to the parking lot of commercial businesses at 1180 Southeast Third Street on a report of animal abuse, said police Corporal Robert Jones. Several witnesses reported a man, later identified as Tyler Jacob Speas, 20, was punching and kicking his dog.

Jones said officers at the time did not see any visible signs of injury to the dog, named Diesel, a male Shepherd mix about six months old, and no immediate law enforcement action was taken.

Just over an hour later, police were called back to the location on more witness reports that the man was kicking his dog. Again, Jones said. Again, officers saw no visible signs of injury to Diesel, and no immediate action was taken.

However, an investigation ensued, and a search warrant was obtained shortly after 8 p.m. Friday to seize Diesel and have him evaluated by a veterinarian, the corporal said.

On Sunday, around 2:15 a.m., Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies found Speas in La Pine and the search warrant was served. Speas was taken into custody and his dog was seized by Bend police and evaluated by a veterinarian.

The vet found Diesel had sustained several injuries. Jones said he was being monitored for his condition.

Speas was booked into the county jail in Bend on first-degree charges of aggravated animal abuse and attempted animal abuse. He was released on his own recognizance about 90 minutes later, pending an August 10 court date, a jail officer said.

Speas contacted NewsChannel 21 Sunday evening to deny the allegations as reported by police.

“The claim is outrageous,” he said. “What happened was, I spanked his butt for peeing in my car. What they are describing is nothing what I did. … If he does have injuries, they’re not inflicted by me. I’m not causing any harm to my dog.”

“I never close-fisted” hit the dog, Speas claimed, adding, “They never gave me a chance to tell my story.”:

“I would never do something like this to my dog,” he said. “I love my dog, and at the end of the day, if it was between him and me to be fed, I would feed him every time.”