A 55-year-old man was convicted of torturing and cruelly treating multiple dogs in his automobile, including starving one to death.
Anthony Dewayne Polite was found guilty on two charges of animal murder/torture and one count of cruelty to animals involving four to ten animals.
According to WNEM’s investigation, testimony at Polite’s trial revealed that on December 17, 2018, someone called to report a very emaciated dog in a fenced-in yard at a home in Flint.
They arrived to report finding several huge canines that appeared to be severely underweight. According to evidence, Animal Control called for support from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office because of the presence of surveillance cameras on the property.
The police entered the premises and found six outside dogs in various stages of starvation, without access to food or water and with little straw to keep them warm on a bitterly cold day.
The cops also noted the ground was solid mud up over the dogs’ feet, suggesting they had been chained there for some time.
Unfortunately, we discovered the body of one of the female canines. According to police, her body was found partially inside a doghouse. The county performed a necropsy and found that she had recently given birth to eight puppies, the whereabouts of which were unknown.
Police said they tried to arrest Polite, but he resisted violently. They claimed they had to restrain him before they could place him in handcuffs. Officers reported finding a seventh dog in a cage inside the residence during the arrest.
The police stated that the dogs were malnourished and that several of them had open wounds. According to the evidence presented, two dogs were found with choke chains around their necks, one of which was already sunk into the skin.
The dog inside the house developed a severe ear infection after the county veterinarian trimmed its ears.
Officers were told that Polite claimed to have been in the dog breeding and sales business since he was a youngster. He allegedly told police officers that he planned to use the deer carcass on his property to feed his dogs.
‘This was one of the worst incidents of animal cruelty that we have charged,‘ said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. As the prosecutor put it, “This case should send a strong message to our community that animal cruelty will not be accepted and we will prosecute and hold accountable anyone who unjustly damage and torment animals.”
