OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — An Omaha man was arrested Wednesday after authorities said he beat his dog and used duct tape to keep her quiet.
Jermaine Pearson, 42, faces a felony charge of intentional cruelty to an animal.
According to the Nebraska Humane Society, Omaha police contacted NHS dispatch after receiving a report of animal abuse.
Investigators responded to an apartment near 22nd and Jones Streets on April 6 after a neighbor reported hearing a dog being beaten and yelping “like she was being killed.”
An animal control officer spoke with the dog’s owner, Pearson, who said he was punishing his dog, Angel, a white Boxer mix, for chewing on wooden trim near his bed.
The officer found Angel with duct tape tightly wrapped around her mouth and nose, tethered to a bedpost, according to the report.
When asked about the tape, Pearson said he used it to keep the dog quiet so neighbors wouldn’t be disturbed. He also said he used rolled-up magazines and newspapers to “tap” her, according to the affidavit.
The officer observed a puncture wound and a cut on Angel’s right rear leg. Pearson initially claimed the injuries happened when the dog tried to get under the bed frame, then later blamed his cat, Austin, who was on the bed and appeared unharmed.
When asked how he would remove the tape, Pearson unfolded a pocketknife before officers told him to put it away. He said he doesn’t usually use tape but couldn’t afford a muzzle because he is currently unemployed.
Pearson then told the officer to “just take Angel.” Authorities confiscated both the dog and the cat.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Pearson remains in custody at Douglas County Corrections and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
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