Two arrested in separate Wichita animal cruelty cases

The Wichita Police Department is investigating two separate animal cruelty cases after callers reported witnessing dog abuse.

At about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, a caller reported a suspicious character to police, Officer Charley Davidson said during Monday’s news briefing. The caller reported that someone had slammed a “small, white dog onto the ground” in the 3300 block of North Wild Rose. The caller also said the person was using a gray Ford Edge.

When police arrived, they saw 19-year-old Cole Carter driving the SUV, Davidson said. He was with two 16-year-old girls.

Carter was taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and carrying a concealed weapon, Davidson said. He had a concealed handgun on him at the time of the arrest.

A small, white dog was found dead in the area, Davidson said. The investigation is ongoing.

Last month, at about 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 16, another person reported a suspicious character with a weapon in the 1000 block of North Poplar, Davidson said. Officers were told that people were beating a dog with a tire iron and letting three other dogs attack the victim dog.

When police arrived, they worked to separate three “aggressive dogs” with the help of animal control officers, Davidson said. Those three dogs were taken into custody, and the victim dog was taken to a hospital where it later died.

This weekend, police arrested 30-year-old Carlett McPherson in connection to the case. She was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty, Davidson said.

Police are still working to contact the other individual involved. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact police.