A 38-year-old man was arrested Friday for allegedly kicking and choking a dog on Jan. 14. Police found methamphetamine and a syringe in his pocket when he was arrested.
Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Shane Rasche said a witness told officers Samuel Yurek crossed from the McDonald's parking lot on South Walnut Street to the Big Red Liquors parking lot with the dog. He kicked Dirtball three to five times, picked him up by his leash and beat him, police said.
Yurek told police Jan. 14 he was trying to teach the dog to sit, and it wasn’t good at walking on a leash. Yurek said he would never hurt a dog and began to cry, Rasche said.
Police said the dog was taken by animal control. Yurek said a friend of his owned the dog but did not give enough details for police to contact the owner.
Yurek was questioned Friday at Circle K on West Kirkwood Avenue for loitering, and police found he had an outstanding warrant for allegedly hurting the dog. When searched, police found a syringe and drugs, which he admitted was methamphetamine, in his pocket.
He was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and torture of vertebrate animals.
