ABettendorf couple is facing animal neglect charges for allegedly failing to care for their sick pit bull, police said.
Dennis Terrell Stewart, 38, and Vanessa Marie Bruyntjens, 39, of 243 Brown St., each is charged with one count of animal neglect causing serious injury or death.
The charge is a serious misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a jail sentence of up to one year and a fine of between $315 and $1,895.
According to Iowa law, the charge encompasses neglect that “tortures, deprives of necessary sustenance, mutilates, beats, or kills an animal by any means which causes unjustified pain, distress, or suffering.”
The case began Dec. 9 at about 10:15 a.m. when Stewart walked into King’s Harvest Pet Rescue in Davenport with a severely malnourished gray and white pit bull, according to the affidavit filed by Bettendorf Police Detective Brian Hanssen.
Stewart said he had been out at Scott County Park walking his dog when he came across the malnourished dog that was lying under a tree. Stewart said he collected the dog and rushed to the shelter.
The dog was lethargic with multiple wounds and lacerations. It was not responsive and his eyes would not focus and he could not lift his head, and his temperature didn’t register.
Emergency procedures were begun and as the dog’s temperature began to rise and fluids were administered the dog began to respond. However, with the warming of the body and rehydration, the dog began to bleed internally and died.
A necropsy found bacteria around the dog’s lungs and heart, which caused pneumonia and that the sores indicted it possibly had been lying in fecal matter and urine, common occurrences in poor living conditions.
On Dec. 12, Stewart met with Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer David Ong at Scott County Park and showed officers where he found the dog. The area showed no signs of disturbance and unbroken weeks a foot away from the tree. There was no evidence an animal had ever been there.
Police then talked to Stewart’s neighbors, who told officers the couple has two gray pit bulls in the basement. The neighbors said the dogs were never let outside.
On Dec. 18, the wife of the property owner spoke to Animal Control Officer Darian Franklin, telling him that there were two dogs in the home, but one of the dogs had to be euthanized the previous week.
In an interview with police, Stewart said the dog’s name was King and that he was born from the other pit bull he and Bruyntjens own. King was 4 years old and developed a twisted stomach.
When the couple took King to the veterinarian they learned the surgical procedure would cost $6,000. Saying they couldn’t afford that, they were given pills to possibly help the dog’s condition.
King was given the medication but stopped eating and drinking a few days later.
Steward said that he took the dog to King’s Harvest with the concocted story because he could not kill the dog himself.
When police searched the home they went to the garage, which is under the main floor of the home and is part of the basement.
The floor was covered with excrement mixed with dry dog food. Stewart said he would put the dogs in the garage when no one was home, and that he cleans the garage once a year.
In his affidavit, Hanssen said that Stewart and Bruyntjens were responsible for making sure the dog received medical attention and not allow the dog to live in poor conditions and to suffer.
Stewart was arrested Thursday and placed in the Scott County Jail. He was released after posting a $1,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Feb. 20 in Scott County District Court.
Bruyntjens was arrested Friday at the Scott County Courthouse but was not booked into the jail. She was released on her own recognizance after making a first court appearance. She also is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 20.
