Dover Township man charged with beating family dog to death with a bat: police

Northern York County Regional Police allege a Dover Township man beat the family dog, Bali, to death with a baseball bat, according to court records and a news release.

Aston Aguilera, 38, of the 2600 block of Oakland Road, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals — causing serious bodily injury or death. He was released on $75,000 bail, according to an affidavit of probable cause and the news release.

Aguilera's 19-year-old daughter reported the death of the 5-year-old dog to police, saying she witnessed her father hitting the pit bull with a baseball bat in excess of 10 to 15 times, the affidavit and news release state.

She told an officer that she heard noises coming from the basement on the evening of July 10, and she went to check on it. The woman found her father hitting Bali with a baseball bat as the dog whimpered, the affidavit states.

She asked him what he was doing. Aguilera claimed the dog had shown her teeth and lunged at him when he tried to push Bali off the bed, the affidavit states.

Bali died on the floor around 10:13 p.m. July 10, the affidavit states.

Police find deceased dog's body in a field: court records

The daughter told police that her father was frequently abusive to the dog and had struck it multiple times in the past, the affidavit states. She said it normally happened when he was drinking.

She believed that he had consumed four beers the evening that Bali died, the affidavit states.

The woman told police that she had never seen Bali being aggressive.

Aguilera instructed his daughter to help him get contractor bags, a vacuum and cleaning supplies to remove blood from the carpet and off of the walls, the affidavit states. Because he was impaired, Aguilera had his daughter drive him to a field where he dumped the dog's body.

The daughter took police to the area of East Berlin and North Baker roads in West Manchester Township where the dog's body was lying. Bali had severe injuries to her head and blood on her, the affidavit states.

The dog's body was returned to the family for cremation, the news release states.

A phone number for Aguilera could not be found, and online court records do not list an attorney for him.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dover Township man charged with beating family dog to death with a bat: police