- A West Valley man, Anthony Archuletta, faces a charge of animal torture.
- He allegedly punched a dog for minutes and threatened its owner on Aug. 16.
- The dog, Rugar, survived but wasn’t taken to a vet.
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A West Valley man is facing charges accusing him of repeatedly punching a dog in the head and saying he would cause the dog a “slow and painful” death.
Anthony Michael Archuletta, 59, was charged on Friday in 3rd District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony, and making a threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor.
On Aug. 16, Cottonwood Heights police were called to a home near 2300 East and 6700 South where a woman said her dog, “Rugar,” got loose and attacked her roommate’s dog, according to charging documents. Police described Rugar as a medium-sized Australian Shepherd…