Colorado police on the hunt for man accused of killing roommate’s 2 dogs, dismembering 1
The suspect was still at large as of Wednesday afternoon
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police in central Colorado are on the hunt for a 30-year-old man accused of brutally beating to death his roommate’s dogs and dismembering one of them.
Matthew Stephen Dieringer, of Pueblo, is wanted in nearby Teller County in connection with the slayings.
Animal control officers and detectives accuse Dieringer of beating to death a 7-year-old Australian cattle dog named Suka and killing and dismembering another dog named Hayoka.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A necropsy found the cause of Suka’s death to be blunt force trauma, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Dieringer was last seen earlier this week near Manitou Springs, about 30 miles east of Teller County, just outside Colorado Springs. He may have dyed his hair a darker color to conceal his identity. (Teller County Sheriff’s Office)
BEAR BREAKS INTO ASPEN HOME, SWIPES AT HOMEOWNER WITH PAW
Authorities said Dieringer was last seen earlier this week near Manitou Springs, about 30 miles east of Teller County, just outside Colorado Springs. He may have dyed his hair a darker color to conceal his identity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As of Wednesday afternoon, Dieringer was still at large, according to a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
He is wanted on two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Investigators are asking for the public’s help tracking him down – but they say if anyone sees him or has details about his whereabouts, they should call the police and not approach.
Animal control officers and detectives accuse Dieringer of beating death a 7-year-old Australian cattle dog named Suka and killing and dismembering another dog named Hayoka. (Teller County Sheriff’s Office)
In November, President Trump signed into law a bipartisan bill making certain egregious acts of animal cruelty a federal crime – bolstering anti-cruelty laws that were already on the books in all 50 states. The bill won unanimous support in both the House and Senate last fall – a rare feat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT) prohibits extreme acts of cruelty, including intentional crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impalement, carried out against "living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The legislation strengthens a 2010 law called the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which made the creation, sale and distribution of videos depicting extreme acts of animal cruelty a federal crime. The PACT closes a gap in the law by allowing federal authorities to prosecute individuals filmed crushing or torturing animals, regardless of whether they were the ones to create the video, according to The Humane Society.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.