Man says he forgot 9-month-old dog was tied to car after being seen dragging pet in Colorado

A man identified as Melton Brown, 66, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals in Colorado's Mesa County after a horrific situation is said to have unfolded on July 16.

Deputies were notified that someone was dragging a dog behind their vehicle in the area of Connected Lakes in Grand Junction. The witnesses stated that they were honking and yelling at the driver of the vehicle to stop, but he continued on. As the investigation into the situation continued, several others noted that they unsuccessfully tried to get the driver to stop, as well.

Witnesses did end up getting a license plate number, which was determined to be registered to Brown.

Authorities were able to locate Brown several hours later as he had taken his dog to an emergency veterinarian's office. The dog was described by law enforcement as a 9-month-old blue heeler that had suffered severe injuries to the extent that it needed to be euthanized. The euthanization happened prior to the arrival of law enforcement at the scene.

Brown was questioned and claimed that he normally tied his dog to the back of his car during the day. This time, however, he forget the dog was still tied to the vehicle until after he drove off. Brown claimed that he didn't notice anyone trying to get him to stop driving.

Proceedings related to the case continue. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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