INDIANAPOLIS — A Marion County man who was caught beating his dog 11 times with a closed fist and kicking her in the legs is in police custody.
IMPD said 23-year-old Robert Cole turned himself in to police Monday. He's facing a felony charge of torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, according to jail records.
The dog, Maggie, is now safe and recovering at IndyHumane in Indianapolis.
"She's doing great, and we are searching for a new, safe home for her," said Colleen Walker, with IndyHumane.
Complaints were first filed against Cole on June 21 after a neighbor reported seeing him "beat his dog in the face like it was a man" and broke the dog's legs, according to court records. Cole was reportedly seen picking the dog up in the air by her throat, then slamming her down.
Police also obtained video from a neighbor that allegedly showed Cole holding the dog by the neck with his left hand and punching her 11 times with a closed fist, according to court records. He was then reportedly seen picking her up and slamming her onto the floor on her back legs.
Maggie was then seen crawling away with her rear legs extended as if she was injured, cowering under a chair. Cole was seen stomping on her rear legs with his right leg. The dog was seen crying out as if in pain during the beating and the stomping.
Cole was then seen pulling the dog from underneath the chair and dropping her onto the ground. He was seen pulling the dog from beneath the chair and dropping her on the ground.
“She’s an angel, and to think that someone could have hurt her is heartbreaking for us,” said Donna Casamento, CEO of IndyHumane.
The neighbor who gave police the video said it happened around 9:30 a.m. on June 18, and that he also had cellphone footage of the incident. The neighbor told police they later saw Cole carrying the dog out of the residence and returning with bandages on its rear legs.
The video was reportedly reviewed by an animal control official, who also saw Cole punching the dog several times, and then picking her off the ground and slamming her to the floor. Cole was then seen using his right leg to stomp on the rear leg of the dog.
“Actually seeing the video is hard. This is one of the worst I’ve seen that’s caught on film, and it’s so bad, we’re not going to share it. The public doesn’t need to see it," IMPD Lt. Shane Foley said. "The X-ray and the story, I think, tell the story enough. And you’ve seen her, she’s adorable! How anyone could do that to such an adorable animal, I just, I don’t understand.”
Shortly after 11 a.m. on June 24, authorities went to Cole's address in the 200 block of Lynn Street on the near west side of Indianapolis and reportedly made contact with Cole's father, who told them his son's dog got hit by a car, but the veterinary bill was $5,000, so they surrendered the dog to Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
IMPD officers reportedly soon identified Cole and learned he had a pending battery arrest.
“If Robert is watching, I’ve got a message, and that message is people probably care more about Maggie than they do about you right now," Foley said. "I would urge you to turn yourself in because people will be calling. They’re going to tell us where you’re at, and you’re going to be in custody in short order."
When IMPD officers went to the Lynn address on July 6 to follow up, they reportedly spoke with Cole's father who initially told them he did not know where his son's dog was, or to where she had been surrendered. Cole's father also told police Maggie had been hit by a car, then later admitted Maggie was still inside the home.
IndyHumane officials allegedly told police Maggie had been brought to their 7929 North Michigan Road location on June 21, and that Cole told them Maggie was hit by a car. X-rays were also provided by IndyHumane that showed a break in the leg bone and the metal rods that were affixed to the leg bone. An examination showed that the dog had an open fracture to the left rear leg that would require surgery. Cole then surrendered Maggie to the facility because he couldn’t pay for the surgery.
“Her break was so traumatic that Dr. Rose felt like it had to have been hit by a car because the force that it would have taken to break her leg in the place that it did in the way that it did would have been very consistent with a car accident or a car hitting her," Casamento said. "We’ve never seen someone jumping on or damaging a dog in this way by kicking or stomping on them.”
Police learned Cole had been allowed to readopt Maggie from IndyHumane on July 3.
Officers then obtained a search warrant to seize the dog from Cole's home and took her into custody. Maggie was then turned back over to staff and faculty at IndyHumane.
Later that day, officers informed Cole they had taken Maggie because of the video showing him beating her. Cole allegedly said he had lost his temper because she had chewed on the floor, and he did actually do what was observed in the video. He claimed he didn’t break her leg and was insistent the injury was caused by the dog getting hit by a vehicle.
Cole allegedly "asked for mercy" and requested police inform the prosecutor that "he has an anger issue and that he was sorry for what he did to Maggie, his dog."
Maggie, meanwhile, is healing and up for adoption, searching for a new home.
“It’s amazing how resilient pets are. She’s going to heal up fine. She’s just like you or me where she may have arthritis later on in her life, but she’s going to be a great dog, and she’ll give someone a great life and be a great companion to an individual or a family. She just needs that chance,” Casamento said. “She’s getting along really great here. Her recovery has been amazing. Our staff has absolutely fallen in love with her.”
“She’s so sweet. It broke my heart when I met her and to see that somebody would do what Robert is alleged to have done to her,” Foley said.