Man Accused of Killing 8-Month-Old Puppy With Claw Hammer

An Orange, Texas, man working in Lake Charles has been arrested after police say he clubbed an eight-month-old pit bull mix puppy to death in the parking lot of his job.

On Oct. 15, sheriff's deputies arrested 52-year-old Stephen R. Blount. Blount showed up to work at a local plant with a puppy in the bed of his pickup truck. His plans were to leave the dog in his truck while he worked, but after the puppy began yelping, coworkers questioned Blount.

Blount walked back out to his truck and grabbed a plastic bag.  He was then seen going into the cab of his truck and later returned to the plant gate with a deceased puppy in the plastic bag which he set near a trash can.  The witnesses stated they walked over and observed the puppy in the bag and questioned Blount about it.  He then put the bag into a nearby dumpster. -- Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office press release.

Blount would later admit to detectives that he struck the dog with a claw hammer twice behind the head. He's being charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal, and his bond was set at $25,000.