By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Prosecutors in Cass County are close to filing animal cruelty charges regarding a puppy allegedly thrown off a bridge.
Cass County authorities are investigating an incident from May 9, when two Niles teens found a small Jack Russell terrier puppy seriously injured and laying below a bridge on Thomson Road.
Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Cass County Jason Ronning said charges could be filed as early as today.
The story of “Lucky” the dog began Tuesday, May 9. Brothers Alex Nemethy, 16, and Tanner Hart, 14, were on a bike ride on Thomson Road near the Cass and Berrien county line just a few miles from home. It was the first time since last year the Niles teens had taken a bike ride. But, Tanner said when they did ride it was common for them to go to White Street and end up at the Thomson Road bridge.
There isn't much below the overpass at Thomson Road. It appears to have been built for access across the small valley. Whatever, if anything, used to pass below the bridge - road or railroad tracks - has been gone for some time.
But, the earth below the bridge has not gone untouched. The area is covered in fresh bulldozer tracks, which explains the chunks of dirt and field grass piled up on either side of the large cement pillars supporting the structure.
There were no tracks when Alex and Tanner arrived at the bridge on May 9, only tall grass and shrubs and a set of old mattresses, Nemethy said. Once at the overpass, the teens said they stopped their bikes and peered over the rusted railings on the bridge's west side.
In one small clearing, the teens said they spotted something suspicious.
Both teens were obviously surprised seconds later when the dog moved.
Brian Hart got a call at home a few minutes later. The teens explained what they had found and asked their father to grab the cat carrier and head to the bridge.
It was not the first time an animal had been dumped in the area of the bridge. Brian said he has talked with a woman in the neighborhood who still cares for a dog she found abandoned in the same vicinity.
Upon arriving, Brian, a paramedic, and his wife Cindy, a registered nurse in the Lakeland-St. Joseph emergency room, began examining the pup. Brian said the puppy's left leg was bent back and underneath its body. Plus, the right leg was obviously broken and the dog wouldn't stand on its hind legs.
Because of the type of injuries the dog sustained, and because of where it was found, Brian said it was easy to conclude the puppy had at one point been on the bridge, 25 to 30 feet above, and was tossed off.
Brian said they took the puppy home and splinted the front two legs. He said he also popped one of the front legs back into a socket after examining the motion of the limb and feeling a grind. There was not much of a difference between helping a human or a four to five-month-old puppy, Brian said.
Repairs to the puppy would continue in the days to come. Instead of having Cass County Animal Control pick the dog up, Brian said an associate of his wife suggested calling Animal Aid of Southwest Michigan.
On May 10, the pup was taken to Clayview Animal Clinic of South Bend, Ind. The surgeries to place pins and a false hip in the dog's legs took at least four hours.
Because of the extraordinary circumstances the dog had overcome, the people at Clayview re-named her “Lucky”, even though her owner had named her Matilda. The pup is expected to remain at Clayview until she is fully recovered, which Frye said would be at least six weeks from the surgery.
The case of “Lucky” first reached the Cass County Sheriff's Department on Saturday, May 13.
Lucky's owner told police he went out for a few hours the evening of Friday, May 5., the same night authorities believe the pup disappeared.
The owner, who is a Howard Township resident and asked authorities to not release his name, told police his terrier puppy was missing when he returned home. Parrish said it appeared at the scene the dog was stolen.
The department has conducted interviews with Howard Township residents and examinations of the property. Plus, Parrish said he has collected information from the veterinarians involved with the puppy's recovery.
But, Parrish added the investigation will remain open until the prosecutor formerly files charges.
Assistant Prosecutor Ronning said he believes there is “a viable felony charge” in the case.