Man, evicted from apartment, faces 5 felony counts in dog abuse case
A Las Vegas apartment complex worker who is accused of attempting to kill five dogs had failed a drug test, had been fired from his job and was facing eviction, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report.
Michael Grinrod faces five felony counts of willful or malicious to torture, maim or kill animals for the Nov. 5 incident at an apartment complex on the 5800 block of West Charleston Boulevard.
Police were called to assist animal control officers who were picking up five puppies from a dumpster “and the owner was getting heated with the Animal Control Officer,” the report, released Tuesday by police, stated.
Police said the approximate 1-2 week-old German Shepherd mix puppies were covered in and smelled like a bleach-like substance.
Apartment property manager Lea Arneson and maintenance worker Juan Moreno told police that Grinrod, who was born in 1985, and evicted for a drug test, the report states. Arneson told police she knew Grinrod’s dog had given birth to some puppies.
Grinrod told police he had found a man at a bar across the street who wanted to take some of the puppies, but when that plan apparently fizzled he later waited for his two daughters to go to sleep.
“Once (they were) asleep, Michael grabbed five of his three-week-old German Shepherd mix puppies and placed them inside a garbage bag,” the report states. “He then used a clear plastic bottle which had a mixture of Bleach with Fabuloso and sprayed it on the puppies. Michael then walked to the dumpster located in the parking lot and placed the puppies inside the dumpster.”
He told police he was going to give the other dogs to people he knew. As for using chemicals, he told police he wanted to “expedite the process by shaking them with chemicals,” the report stated.
In all, eight puppies were rescued by Animal Control officers and taken to The Animal Foundation shelter on North Mojave Road for immediate care and have since been placed with a foster home, TAF reports.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.