Lucky Breakthrough in Dog Abuse Case

By Paul Huggins
DAILY Staff Writer
phuggins@decaturdaily.com

Decatur police will show evidence to a Morgan County grand jury next week that investigators believe will lead to the arrest of the person who abused Lucky.

Lt. Nadis Carlisle said tips from callers helped with the discovery of Lucky's owner and that the dog's original name was Rocky. He declined to give any details, such as whether the suspect had dog-fighting items, saying he didn't want to affect the grand jury proceedings.

He did say the department's findings bring closure to the two-week-old case. Presenting the case to the grand jury instead of arresting the suspect this week was the advice of the Morgan County district attorney's office, he added.

If convicted, the suspect could face one to 10 years in prison.

Lucky was found Feb. 22 in a trash bin near Wilson Morgan Park with a mangled leg and a duct-taped snout. Officials suspect he was used as bait for training pit bull fighters.

The dog continues to recover and could be ready for adoption in about three weeks.

Veterinarian Dr. Steve Osborne, who amputated Lucky's leg last week, immediately put up a $500 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of Lucky's abuser. Donations from around the country have increased the reward to more than $15,000.

Carlisle said he couldn't say at this time whether the reward was the key to finding the suspect.

"I can't say that it didn't," he said.

Sgt. Rick Archer, head of the homicide/robbery unit, said solving the case was merely a matter of sifting through the overwhelming number of tips reported by citizens.

"Every day, I would have two dozen calls," he said, noting that many were related to dog fighting and not specifically to Lucky.

Russell said the story of Lucky shows what the community can do when it works together, adding that he hopes the same spirit will continue as the city pursues more animal cruelty cases and improves the shelter.

In the past year, the shelter hired an animal control officer and is in the midst of training him to investigate animal cruelty cases. In addition, the city plans to begin a capital campaign this year to build a new shelter.