A Maryland man on the run for months has been put behind bars after he used fireworks to kill a dog in the woods in Tennessee, police say.
On March 4, Chattanooga police responded to a call about a fire in the woods that was caused by a man who threw a dog out of his car and tossed fireworks at it, Local 3 News reported.
Cornell Mersiers Jr. was arrested last week and charged with animal cruelty, arson, criminal impersonation, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment.
At the time of the incident, authorities found a small black and white pitbull mix lying on the ground “with its torso torn open and obviously deceased,” police said.
The dog also appeared to have burn marks on its wound.
Police responded to the scene with fire extinguishers before the fire department arrived to help put out the fire, according to the report.
Meanwhile, two witnesses told police they saw the crime take place, including one who saw a man they identified as Mersiers throw something out of his black Jeep Wrangler. It’s unclear why the suspect allegedly targeted the dog.
Once the object hit the ground, there was a loud bang and sparks erupted, causing a fire to start, the witness said.
When the witness asked what the suspect was doing, he ignored her questioning and fled in his car, authorities said. Another witness had a similar story, but was able to provide police a photo of the suspect’s Jeep.
When police called Mersiers, he answered but said his name was “Jason Smith,” and told authorities they had the wrong number.
Police then asked him to come pick up the dog, without providing any additional information about the incident, and he said he would be there in 10 minutes. However, he never returned to the scene and declined to answer any more phone calls.
It was not immediately clear where Mersiers has been since March or what caused his arrest to be delayed for several months. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 3.
