DATE: Thursday, May 05, 2016
SUBJECT: Additional Arrest Made in Animal Cruelty Case
RELEASE NUMBER: 2016-NR-030
CONTACT: Lt. Noah Robinson
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Dave Wedding
On Thursday, May 05, 2016 at 09:30pm the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mr. Brandyn Alan Cox on charges related to an ongoing animal cruelty investigation. Deputies located Mr. Cox in Mount Vernon, where he was served with an arrest warrant and taken into custody.
The arrest stems from an incident that occurred on Tuesday, May 03, 2016 in which Mr. Jamie McFarland was alleged to have tied a dog to the tow hitch of a truck later driven by Mr. Cox. The Sheriff’s Office became aware of the incident when multiple 911 callers indicated the driver of a black Ford F-150 pick-up truck had been dragging a dog on a leash behind the vehicle.
One of the 911 callers sped around the truck as it traveled down Pearl Drive and blocked the driver’s path. Mr. Cox is alleged to have exited the truck and then untied the deceased dog, leaving the animal in the roadway. The witness reported being threatened by Mr. Cox after she attempted to take pictures of him. Mr. Cox allegedly tried to take the phone from the witness’s hand and then threatened to run over her with his truck prior to leaving the scene.
Mr. Cox was located and questioned later that day, but released while the investigation continued. The investigation determined that Mr. Cox had driven for just over five (5) miles while dragging the animal. Mr. McFarland was taken into custody on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, while an arrest warrant for Mr. Cox was obtained earlier today.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Mr. Cox inside of an automotive repair business in Mount Vernon. With the assistance of the Posey County Sheriff’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department, Mr. Cox was taken into custody without incident. Mr. Cox surrendered after a warning was shouted into the building from a Sheriff’s Office K-9 handler, who was preparing to use his canine to search the building.
The Posey County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mr. Matthew Blaine Reed of Mt. Vernon, who had been inside the garage with Mr. Cox. Mr. Reed was found to be in possession of a stolen handgun and is currently lodged at the Posey County Jail.
Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “Animals obviously cannot speak for themselves, so it is up to us give them a voice whenever they are abused or mistreated.” Sheriff Wedding added, “Our County benefits from the collaborative relationship between the Sheriff’s Office, the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office and Evansville-Vanderburgh Animal Control,who are all members of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Animal Cruelty Task-Force”. Both the Sheriff’s Office and the Evansville Police Department have assigned representatives to the task force, whose goal is to curb animal cruelty in Vanderburgh County through prevention, protection and prosecution.
Sheriff Wedding added, “I want to thank those members of the public who called 911 to report this crime, especially the woman who risked her personal safety to try and save this animal. We normally encourage citizens to just be good witnesses and not become involved, but I certainly understand why this good samaritan elected to take action.”
ARRESTED:
Pictured above: Brandyn Alan Cox, 24, of Evansville. Intimidation as a Level 5 Felony, Animal Cruelty as a Level 6 Felony, Animal Torture (2 counts) as a Level 6 Felony, Animal Cruelty as a Class A Misdemeanor, Interference with the Reporting of a Crime as a Class A Misdemeanor
PREVIOUSLY:
News Release 2016-NR-027
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