Spring Valley Man Must Stand Trial for Allegedly Beating Dog to Death

A Spring Valley man accused of pummeling his small dog to death for digging up a newly planted tree in his yard must stand trial on a charge of felony animal cruelty, a judge ruled Monday.

Charles Alexander Dudley, 69, faces up to three years in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Kerry Conway.

Judge William McGrath ruled that enough evidence was presented at Dudley's preliminary hearing for the defendant to proceed to trial Sept. 24. The judge denied a defense motion to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor.

Department of Animal Services spokesman Dan DeSousa said a neighbor called DAS the night of May 13 to report seeing Dudley beating the 2-year-old female miniature pinscher at his home in the 3500 block of Bentley Drive.

A responding animal-control officer found the badly injured eight-pound canine barely breathing in Dudley's back yard and took her to a veterinary hospital, where she died later in the night.

Dudley allegedly told an investigator he had beaten the dog because she uprooted a tree he recently had planted outside his home.

The defendant – who is free on $25,000 bail – will be back in court Sept. 4 for a readiness conference.