Man accused of kicking, killing puppy

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    FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — Fort Smith Police were called to an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Boston Avenue in Fort Smith.

A neighbor reported hearing what sounded like a puppy in distress coming from inside an apartment.

Police said once they arrived, they spoke with Markterious Trevon Willis-Releford, who had two 10-week-old Pit Bull puppies inside of his apartment.

Willis-Releford told police the two Pit Bull puppies had got into a fight, and he tried to break them up.

He also told police that one of the Pit Bull puppies tried to bite him, so he kicked it to defend himself.

The Pit Bull puppy died while police were waiting on animal control to arrive on the scene.

Police said Willis- Releford had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear.

He was taken into custody and also taken to jail on charges of animal cruelty.

Recently President Trump signed a bill called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which makes intentional acts of cruelty to animals a federal crime.

“Cruelty to animals is certainly something that we take very seriously and that we’re going to do everything we can to prosecute those violators of the animal cruelty law. The courts, the legislature and even the now the federal government has shown how important this is that people respect and are kind to animals and failure to do so could mean criminal prosecution,” said Wes Milam, Fort Smith Police Captain who is in charge of the Animal Service Union.

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