AUBURN, MASS. (WHDH) - A 21-year-old man is facing an animal cruelty charge after police say they found a decomposing dog tethered to a pole in a flooded basement of a home in Auburn.
Authorities conducting a property check on Eric Hannon’s Pinehurst Avenue home on Aug. 24 found the remains of a dog tied to a support column with a two-and-a-half-foot rope and prong collar, according to court documents.
“There were no visible organs or tissue, with only bones and fur remaining along with the empty shells of maggots or other insects that had fed on the decaying animal,” investigators said in a police report.
Animal control officer’s linked Hannon to the dog, named Athena, after scanning its microchip.
Hannon told investigators on Aug. 31 that he had left Athena tied to the pole for a night in February while he went to visit his girlfriend in New Hampshire and returned to find his basement flooded and the dog dead, the documents indicated.
Hannon allegedly admitted that he was unsure if the dog had drowned or was electrocuted and was afraid to investigate any further.
The dog’s remains were found six months later after Hannon moved from the home, leaving the animal’s corpse behind, according to investigators.
Due to the dog’s high level of decomposition, officials say a cause of death will likely never be determined but that there is enough evidence to hold Hannon responsible.
Hannon pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Worcester District Court and was released on $1,000 bail.
He is due back in court in December.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)