JENNINGS COUNTY — A North Vernon man has been accused of 10 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal after he was accused of killing several dogs.
Jennings County Sheriff deputies served an arrest warrant on Cody Kreutzjans, 30, North Vernon, at 4:30 p.m. Monday at his home, said Chief Deputy Dave Turner.
The investigation by Detective Sgt. Jeff Jones and Jennings Animal Control started last February when several deceased dogs were located in the northeastern part of Jennings County, Turner said.
As the investigation continued, evidence were submitted to the Indiana State Police Lab. Once confirmation was received back from the lab, the case was forwarded to Jennings County Prosecutor, Brian Belding, for review, Turner said.
Kreutzjans is being held in the Jennings County Jail on $10,000 bond, jail officials said.
Authorities say that about a dozen dead dogs found dumped from a vehicle in a wooded area last February. They determined that most were shot with an air rifle and two puppies were fatally beaten. The dogs were found by a passerby driving through the area the afternoon of Feb. 28. The dogs were found on County Road 740E, south of County Road 1000N in Columbia Township, near the Zenas slab area.
One of the puppies was found hanging from a tree and investigators says that’s because it was likely tossed into the woods.
Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman said that he is glad to bring closure to this investigation and would to thank the public for their help in the case.
