BVPD: Bristol man arrested, accused of dragging dog behind vehicle in fatal incident

Bristol, VA Police have arrested a man on animal cruelty charges after they say he dragged a dog behind his vehicle causing the dog’s death.

Officers were notified of the incident Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m. in the Commonwealth Avenue area. Authorities say witnesses told them they initially failed to get the car driven by Dustin Tyler Edwards, 22, to stop before a citizen did stop Edwards at a business on Euclid Avenue.

Police learned that the tether attached to the vehicle was broken and the animal was no longer attached to the vehicle. Officers later found the dog lying in the roadway on Spurgeon Lane with severe injuries from the dragging, and later died from its injuries. Edwards, who was the dog’s owner, was placed in custody on the felony animal cruelty charge, and is being held in the Bristol, VA jail without bond.

Photo Courtesy: Bristol, VA Police Department