Man charged in Missouri animal abuse case connected to deadly Oklahoma dog attack
By Jason Burger
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CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla. (KHBS , KHOG) — A Oklahoma man facing 16 counts of animal abuse in Missouri is connected to a previous incident where a child died following a dog attack earlier this year.
On Tuesday, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Robert Peters, 38, was present at the scene where a 6-year-old child was attacked by a dog and later died at the hospital. The incident occurred on May 5 near 180th Street and Banner Road in Cleveland County.
Despite his presence at the scene, Peters was not charged with any crimes related to the child’s death.
“He didn’t hear anybody screaming or yelling. He went outside, and that’s when he saw his son laying on the ground just outside the front door,” John Szymanski, chief deputy of operations for the sheriff’s office, said in May. “It was obvious that he’d been attacked by multiple dogs. They did have five large dogs at that residence that were outside dogs.”
Szymanski told KOCO, 40/29’s sister station in Oklahoma City, that all five dogs had been euthanized, although it wasn’t clear which animals were involved in the attack.
“They were all healthy-looking animals. They’d been to the vet. They were up to date on everything. It’s just a terrible incident,” Szymanski said in May. “It didn’t appear like there’s any negligence at this point, but it’s still an ongoing investigation.”
Peters was arrested in St. Louis on Friday after attempting to have four dogs cremated. In addition to the four dead animals, police found 12 other dogs in dire conditions inside a box truck he was driving.
Peters runs an animal transportation company with his wife out of their Cleveland County home, according to court records.
Brooke Thompson, president and founder of Gone Girls Rescue Inc., used Peters’ company to transport a dog that was being adopted. While she initially was told the dog had died, animal control officials later confirmed to her that the animal in the truck lived.
“I’ve even considered myself coming from New Jersey to Missouri just to get him because I’m afraid to put him anywhere now,” she said. “They had sent us a couple pictures at least letting us know he was alive, and he’s safe. He’s obviously emaciated. He’s not in the best of health that he was before.”
Peters remains in custody in Missouri following his arrest on July 11. A judge denied his bond.
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