CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — A Cartersville man is facing an aggravated animal cruelty charge after police say he admitted to letting a dog starve to death.
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According to a Cartersville Police Department report, officers were called to a home on Pine Crest Drive on Oct. 15 for a harassment complaint.
The man told police that Jaylen Gregory, his girlfriend’s husband, had come to the home during the night and left a severely decayed dog inside a crate near the back door. The crate was covered with a blanket, according to the report.
The man told officers that Gregory and the woman were going through a divorce and that she had moved in with him around June. He also reported that Gregory had continued contacting them since she moved out.
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Officers and an animal control officer later went to Gregory’s home to check on several cats after the complainant raised concerns about their welfare. The cats appeared healthy, according to the report.
During the investigation, Gregory told officers that the woman had wanted the dog about three years ago and that he agreed to get it. He said she was unable to take the dog when she moved out in June.
Gregory told police he fed the dog occasionally but eventually stopped. He said he would hear the dog whining for a while before it stopped, and he acknowledged that the dog died because he did not feed it, according to the report.
Police arrested Gregory and took him to the Bartow County Jail. A warrant was obtained charging him with aggravated cruelty to animals.
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