ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — A case involving animal abuse, which was set to appear in Robertsdale’s municipal court on July 8, has been continued after officials say the dog’s owner presented new evidence for evaluation in the case.
“The evidence has been turned over to the D.A.’s office and we are waiting on word from them as to whether we are going to proceed with misdemeanor charges or if there is enough evidence for felony charges,” said Robertsdale Police Chief Brad Kendrick in a phone interview on Thursday, July 2. “We want to take our time and get it right. We only have one opportunity to get it right.”
The case stems from the arrest of 20-year-old Adam Callaghan in October of 2019. In a phone interview on June 22, Kendrick stated that the arrest was made based on a warrant signed in September or October in which misdemeanor charges were filed based on the evidence at the time.
The case drew the attention of the international organization PETA after video surfaced which apparently shows Callaghan brutally beating and handling the dog, whose name is Echo.
“I have not seen the video, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to evaluate all the evidence available in this case,” Kendrick said.
A link to PETA’s website shows the video as part of a news report from a local television station. It also includes a statement from local veterinarian Lacey Davis, which chronicles several visits with the dog and its owner dating back to April of 2019, all the way up to December.
Based on the surveillance video, which was reportedly taken on Oct. 19, Davis states that all of the injuries could point to mistreatment of Echo.
“After reviewing the clips of the video and the case notes related to Echo, I am mortified that we didn’t see this case for what it is: severe unprovoked brutal abuse,” according to the statement which is addressed to Robertsdale PD Chief Investigator Lt. Rex Bishop, “and all those involved.” “…we always gave the benefit of the doubt and tried to make the clinical signs fit with an underlying disease that wasn’t there after all.”
The website encourages the public to contact Kendrick, District Attorney Bob Wilters and city attorney Ken Raines via email and also provides links to the Robertsdale Police Department and District Attorney’s Office Facebook pages.
It is not clear at this time if the case will be set to come back before the municipal court judge. If the new evidence warrants further evaluation of felony charges, it is possible that the case will be turned over to a Baldwin County grand jury.
