DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man charged with allegedly abusing a puppy and dumping it in the woods, as well as domestic abuse, has pleaded guilty.
Back in March, the Des Moines Police Department arrested and charged Shawn Cornelius Stanton, 33, with domestic abuse assault – injury or mental illness – first offense, and animal abuse. Those charges were later amended via Trial Information to domestic abuse assault – second offense, animal abuse, and animal torture, all aggravated misdemeanors. Animal torture didn’t become a felony in Iowa until July 1.
At the time, the DMPD said it had responded to a southside apartment after a woman reported her then-boyfriend, identified as Stanton, had assaulted her and broken her puppy’s leg. A criminal complaint states the victim also told police that the puppy’s right eye was “hanging out of its head.”
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By the time officers arrived at the apartment, Stanton had left with the puppy, and it was believed he had dumped it in a wooded area nearby, the DMPD said.
Officers later heard yelping in a wooded area near the 7100 block of SE 5th Street, where a K-9 officer found the puppy under tree debris.
Court records state that the puppy, named Ember, had two broken bones in her front leg, a fractured jaw, and injuries to her eye, and bruising and swelling, all consistent with repeated physical force trauma. The ARL said it had assumed care of Ember…