Dog beaten on Austin balcony to remain in city's custody; owner arrested
Hearing for man accused of dog abuse
A judge decided on who will keep custody of a dog seen beaten on a downtown Austin balcony in a viral video.
AUSTIN, Texas - There were lots of emotions inside an Austin courtroom Thursday as a judge decided who will keep custody of a dog seen beaten in a viral video.
There were cheers in the courtroom after a judge ruled the dog, Boone, will remain in the city’s custody and not with his owner.
Man arrested in connection to dog abuse caught on video in downtown Austin
The Austin Police Department has arrested a man in connection to an animal cruelty case in downtown Austin that was caught on video.
The backstory:
It was a packed courtroom as a judge heard testimony about videos posted to social media showing an 11-year-old Labrador Weimaraner named "Boone" being abused and beaten with a belt.
Austin police arrested John Kaschak, who is now facing animal cruelty charges.
"There has been a lot of public interest in this case. We saw the viral videos and we all kind of organized to send emails to the investigators, to the various attorneys, to the DA to make sure that they understood that there was a lot of visibility," said Heather Myers, a local attorney and animal advocate.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arrested in connection with dog abuse
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident of dog abuse caught on video.
One neighbor testified that she woke up around 4 a.m. to a dog sounding in distress on February 7. She told the court she saw Kaschak on his balcony hitting the dog with the belt.
The recorded videos were played for the judge.
"The videos are painful to watch. You hear the dog yelping. Lots of people got emotional in the courtroom when they played those videos," said Myers.
She testified she again heard the dog crying again and saw chairs being pushed toward Boone on the balcony that evening.
After calling the police, she posted a video online seeking advice about what to do next.
"We were contacted when the video first emerged on Reddit, and we had volunteers on site that night of Super Bowl Sunday. Everybody's plans kind of changed just to get the dog to safety through the correct legal means," said Sonal Patel, Rescue ATX Dogs.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dog in care of animal services after video shows abuse
A dog is under the care of Austin Animal Services after a video went viral showing a man abusing him on a balcony.
An APD detective with the animal cruelty unit also testified.
He said when officers seized Boone, they found many of the items used in the videos, like the chairs, sheets, and two belts believed to be used along with blood on the balcony.
The detective said, based on the video, he believed the dog suffered undue pain.
"I'm very involved in animal rescue. We have seen many cases that are probably ten times worse than this, and those animals get returned to their owners within weeks," said Myers.
In the end, the judge ordered that Boone be turned over to the Austin Animal Center, and that Kaschak pay for the cost of Boone's boarding and care.
"We're really lucky in Boone's case that he had all of that proof in his favor," said Patel.
The Source: Information from court testimony and previous FOX 7 Austin coverage