Problem Solvers: La Pine-area man arrested on animal abuse charges, 3 dogs seized after viral video sparks outrage

(Update: Arrest video; more on investigation, arrest)

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Problem Solvers Wednesday that a La Pine-area man caught on camera apparently abusing his dog with a shovel has been arrested and charged with aggravated animal abuse, and his three dogs were taken to an area shelter for evaluation.

The 75-year-old man, identified by deputies as John Coe Richardson, was arrested in the La Pine Post Office parking lot, the dogs were taken into custody and he later was booked into the county jail in Bend on initial charges of first-degree aggravated animal abuse, a felony, and second-degree animal abuse.

The district attorney has not as of yet filed formal charges.

Sheriff Kent van der Kamp released the following details to KTVZ News and the public late Wednesday afternoon:

"On Saturday, April 26, around 11:30 a.m., a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy and animal control officer responded to a report of alleged animal abuse in the 15000 block of Sparks Drive in south Deschutes County. A witness reported seeing a resident beating a dog with a shovel and indicated that the incident was captured on video.

"Deputies contacted the suspect, identified as John Coe Richardson, 75, of La Pine, Oregon. Richardson was uncooperative during the initial contact, and deputies could not seize the dog then. In the meantime, the case was forwarded to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for legal review.

"On Tuesday, April 29, deputies began coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office to develop a safety plan to make contact and arrest Richardson. On Wednesday, around 12:50 p.m., deputies located Richardson in the La Pine area and took him into custody without incident.

"Three dogs, including the victim animal, were safely removed from the man’s possession and transported for evaluation. The animals have been lodged with the Central Oregon Humane Society for additional care and support.

"Richardson was lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail and is facing the following charges:

• ORS 167.322 – Aggravated Animal Abuse in the First Degree (Class C felony)
• ORS 167.325 – Animal Abuse in the Second Degree

"The investigation is ongoing and additional information may be released in the future. "

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Earlier info:

DA Steve Gunnels tells the Problem Solvers they take these incidents extremely seriously and will have a charging decision soon. The two prosecutors investigating the incident have previous experience in animal abuse cases.

Gunnels says it's common for his office to bring charges against an individual, even if someone wasn't initially arrested or cited by law enforcement.

"We make our own independent charging decisions," he said.

The disturbing video of apparent animal abuse at a La Pine-area home quickly went viral on social media Thursday, prompting the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office to update the community on the status of the case. Deputies said they passed it along to the DA's Office for "charging considerations."

The KTVZ Problem Solvers spoke with the neighbor of the man who is under investigation after apparently hitting the small dog with a shovel. The video being shared quickly and widely on social media had many in the community reaching out to KTVZ to investigate.

The Problem Solvers drove to the area Tuesday and spoke with the man who shot the video, though he's asked us not to show his face on camera.

"I heard some things going on the other side of the fence, look over, see John throw a shovel at his little dog, yelled at him a couple times, put the shovel down, 'Don't do it, bad decision," Steven recalls, "So at that point I decided to pull my phone out of my pocket."

In the video, you can hear off-camera someone warning the man not to harm the pup: "Put the shovel down! Come on, buddy!"

While recording the video, Steven says, "John's in the red. He's p----d because he can't catch his dogs, now he's gonna beat it with a shovel."

Because of its graphic nature, KTVZ News has chosen not to show the apparent abuse, but we will share the audio. You can hear the heart-wrenching screams of the dog, which, according to the neighbor is just 5 months old and less than 5 pounds.

"I didn't think that dog was gonna walk away, to be honest. I thought that dog was gonna be dead," says Steven.

According to Steven, animal control and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office came to the home, which he says belongs to a man named John, but made no arrest or citations at that time.

"They talked to him, showed him the video. John got very loud and yelling, telling them to leave, and then at that point, they just de-escalated the situation. Told him this isn't what you're supposed to do to a dog and end of story," Steven said.

Animal Control told him because the dog showed no outward signs of harm, there was nothing they could do. But Steven saw something different: "I noticed that afternoon the dog was limping around all afternoon."

Now, Stephen and many others on social media are calling for action and accountability.

"It disappointed me a lot, because those are people that you're supposed to serve and protect us. I respect law enforcement 100%. They're great people, not trying to downgrade them one bit."

After the Problem Solvers reached out to Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, his office released a statement saying their findings have been forwarded to the District Attorney's office for charging considerations.

The Problem Solvers did reach out to the owner of the property listed on public records, but have not heard back.

Right now, Steve and his neighbors are calling for accountability and are thankful for their community. "It's a small community - there's a few nut jobs out there, but all the normal people, you know, they come together as a community. I saw it today."