Police in Georgia say a Sandy Springs man recently killed his girlfriend's dog and then beat her with the dead animal's body. Charges against the man were upgraded this week.
"This guy had no regard for anyone," Sandy Springs Police Capt. Steve Rose told The Huffington Post. "It's really disturbing that a human being can act in such a way. This is just a very selfish man who does not care about anything."
According to police, authorities were called to the Roswell Road condo of Emmanuel Alfredo Tadeo, 27, and Andrea Armintrout, 40, in June to investigate a domestic violence complaint. Upon arrival, officers discovered Armintrout had been assaulted and her dog, a Pomeranian, had been brutally beaten to death.
"She said she had been arguing with her boyfriend. He had been doing shots of liquor and got angry. He started blaming her for his life not being the way he wanted it," Rose said.
During the argument, Tadeo allegedly grabbed Armintrout by the hair, threw her against a wall, and beat her about the face. Afterward, he went looking for the dog, which he found cowering under a table, according to police.
"He kicked and stomped the dog," Rose said. "She grabbed the dog from him and he grabbed it back and took the dog outside. When he came back in he said he had snapped the dog's neck. He then took the dog by the back legs and actually started hitting her with the dog. When the officers got there the dog was dead."
Police took Tadeo into custody and booked him in the Fulton County Jail on charges of animal cruelty, domestic violence and battery. Earlier this week a grand jury upgraded the battery charge to aggravated assault, which is a felony.
Armintrout was also jailed after police charged her with obstruction.
"She did not want to cooperate and hindered the investigation," Rose said.
Rose said the alleged crime has shocked the community.
"I have been in [law enforcement] for 36 years and this is a first," he said. "You wonder how we ever got to the top of the food chain with people like this among us."