From The Tribune staff reports
CENTER POINT — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrested 32-year-old Brock Woods in connection with the animal cruelty incident that occurred on Monday, Dec. 19, around 7:30 p.m., in a McDonald’s parking lot on Center Point Parkway.
According to Allison Black Cornelius, Chief Executive Officer of Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS), Woods was caught on camera abusing a 10-week-old puppy.
Woods is being held in the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham on charges of aggravated animal cruelty, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, and attempting to elude. His bonds total $30,000.
“Good Samaritans witnessed a black male dragging a puppy across the road and then dragging this puppy by a tether across the parking lot of the McDonald’s,” Cornelius said. “The witnesses then stated that they saw this individual suspend the puppy into the air by the tether, kind of hanging it. Then, as this individual got to the door of McDonald’s, he appears to slam the puppy into the wall, kick it, and then he goes into the McDonald’s, I guess, to order and eat. He is then joined by a female.”
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the 9-1-1 call made by the good Samaritans and retrieved the puppy. The puppy was taken to Steele City Emergency Clinic for the treatment of his injuries.
The puppy had extensive injuries to the pads of his feet.
“He is now in our care at the GBHS Critical Care Clinic. Dr. Alverson has examined the puppy,” Cornelius said. “We named the puppy Luke, and we named it Luke after the Gospel of Luke in which the story of the Good Samaritan is told because we are very grateful to the people that called the sheriff’s office to report this so that this puppy had a chance.”
GBHS offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who could help in the case, and from one of those tips, a suspect was arrested.
“This type of behavior is not going to be tolerated by this community,” Cornelius said. “It’s not going to be tolerated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department or hopefully any law enforcement. It is not consistent with the values of how we treat animals in this community.
“Watching it infuriates, I’m sure, you and infuriates me. So we want to make sure that this person is brought in and held accountable for the behavior and for what they did to this 10-week-old puppy. This may very well qualify as a felony; that’s up to the district attorney and the Sheriff’s Department.
“GBHS is simply not going to let bad guys act this way. I want to make sure you also know that almost every single time we meet people that treat something as innocent, small, and helpless as a puppy this way, they are likely doing worse things to people back wherever they came from.
“We appreciate your crop cooperation help. This puppy deserves our advocacy and our voice.”
If you would like to donate to the “Luke Reward Fund,” please visit https://gbhs.org/donate and put “Luke Reward” in the notes.