A small brown dog that bystanders say had urinated blood and struggled to even stand died overnight in Animal Control's care after Bedford police pulled it and a flea-covered puppy from an apartment building in September. Now, 56-year-old Charles Garland of Oolitic faces charges of neglect of a vertebrate animal and abandonment of a vertebrate animal in connection with the case.
According to WBIW, Bedford police were dispatched around 7 p.m. on September 12 to an apartment building in the 1000 block of 17th Street after reports of loose, sick dogs. Officers arriving on scene found a severely emaciated black puppy covered in fleas, along with a small brown dog cowering on a porch and struggling to move. GreaterGood also covered the case after the WBIW report circulated.
Witnesses Described a Dog in Visible Distress
Bystanders told police the brown dog had been extremely ill and had urinated blood before officers arrived, per the outlet's report. The property manager told investigators that a tenant was moving out and planning to leave two dogs behind, which is what prompted the call to police in the first place. Animal Control took custody of both animals at the scene.
The brown dog did not survive the night. It died while in Animal Control's care because of its condition, the station's report states. The surviving puppy was placed under the care of animal welfare officials following the rescue.
Body Camera Footage From a Month Earlier
Investigators did not treat September 12 as an isolated incident. Police reviewed body-worn camera footage from an earlier call at the same apartment on August 14, which the outlet reported clearly showed the puppy emerging from Garland's doorway. That footage became a key piece of evidence tying Garland to the puppy weeks before the move-out call came in.
An associate told police that Garland had been keeping the dogs for at least a month, but that his new residence did not allow pets, according to the same account. Bedford Police have requested an arrest warrant for Garland through the Lawrence County Prosecutor's Office. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether that warrant has been issued or what, if anything, has happened in court since.
What Indiana Law Says About Animal Neglect
Under Indiana law, recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally abandoning or neglecting a vertebrate animal in a person's custody generally amounts to cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor, according to the Indiana Code. That charge can be elevated to a Level 6 felony if the person has a prior unrelated conviction under the same chapter, other than a conviction under Section 1. The statute also allows a defense if the person reasonably believed the animal was capable of surviving on its own.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health has said it cannot initiate its own investigations into concerns involving dogs, cats, or other pets — those requests have to come directly from law enforcement, animal control, or a prosecutor, per the agency's published guidance. That framework is consistent with how this case moved forward, with Bedford Police handling the investigation and requesting an arrest warrant for Garland through the Lawrence County Prosecutor's Office.
As with any case built on a probable cause affidavit, the allegations against Garland are not a final court determination, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, WBIW's report notes. No information on a plea, court date, or case outcome was available in the reporting reviewed.
