Man arrested after 3 dogs found dead in abandoned U-Haul van in Mattapan

MATTAPAN - A Boston man was arrested after police said three dogs were found dead inside an abandoned U-Haul van on Tuesday.

William Cobb, 33, was arrested Friday afternoon in Weymouth. He's been charged with three counts of animal cruelty and is set to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

Police said they were called to Edgewater Driver in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood on Tuesday night to investigate the van. Neighbors had complained of a terrible smell coming from the van and said many flies were surrounding it. When responding officers opened the truck, they said they found three dead dogs inside. According to the police report, one dog was in a cage.

In the last couple of weeks, neighbors described seeing someone take dogs in and out of the van. On Monday, multiple witnesses said they saw a man carrying water cooler jugs to the U-Haul to rinse off two dogs.