Cloudcroft man charged with extreme cruelty in puppy’s death
A man is suspected of killing a puppy by slamming it on the porch of a mobile home Saturday evening, according to Las Cruces police.
Jerome Shoberg, 36, of Sawmill Road in Cloudcroft, N.M., is charged with one count of extreme cruelty to animals. The charge is a fourth-degree felony.
Saturday, police were dispatched to 2200 Holiday Avenue to investigate reports of a man wearing little or no clothes, running around the neighborhood.
Officers were unable to locate the man.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday, police once again were dispatched to the area after a couple found the man in their yard and holding a young puppy.
Officers learned the couple witnessed the man, wearing only blue boxer shorts and later identified as Shoberg, in their yard. As the homeowner approached Shoberg, the man allegedly slammed the puppy on their porch before running off.
The black and white puppy, possibly only weeks old, died as a result of Shoberg’s actions, according to police. Police do not know who the puppy belonged to.
Police located Shoberg a short distance away on the 2400 block of Picacho Avenue. They booked him into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with a secured bond set at $5,000.
