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| Dusty |
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| Source |
| Information came from the St. Louis Post Dispatch article: "Police Arrest Man Who They Say Beat His Family's Dog to Death After it Bit his Son". (Monday June 11, 2001, Metro Section) |
| Dusty, a Labrador-Dalmation, was scheduled for euthanasia after his first humans dumped him at the city pound. He eluded death by a mere 24 hours and found hope at the Granite City APA. One of the most popular puppies at the no-kill shelter, Dusty was lovingly released to his new home. That home included a young child. Dusty was left unattended with that young child, an almost 3 year old boy. The toddler and Dusty were playing, and Dusty nipped at him. The toddler was injured and required two stitches. What should have happened in this situation was to confine the dog, tend to the bite and call animal control or another shelter to ask for assistance on how to handle this to prevent future biting. Instead of taking responsible actions, nearly 10 hours later, 32-year-old Michael Welch (the toddler's father) came home from work with a sledgehammer, baseball bat and vengeance on his mind. Welch took Duty, chained him to a pole and then took that sledgehammer and that baseball bat and beat Dusty for an hour, took a "beer break" and then proceeded back to the blood-spattered patio where he continued to beat the whimpering dog. Though neighbors heard Dusty's piteous yelps, Welch's wife and 3 children slept through the ordeal. Neighbors who heard the dog screaming finally called police, but it was too late. Dusty was dead. Police were unable to recognize Dusty as a dog because of the viciousness of the beating. They were finally able to identify him because of his dog tag. On Saturday, June 9, 2001, in St. Louis, Missouri, from 12:30 a.m. to 3:15 a.m., Dusty, the most loved dog in the shelter, suffered a horrible, miserable death at the hands of his *guardian*. No one helped. Dusty died alone, blood spattered and broken. Welch claims this was an "accident". At what point did this become an accident? When Welch "accidentally" left his son unattended with Dusty? When Welch "accidentally" brought home a sledgehammer? When Welch "accidentally" picked that sledgehammer up and beat Dusty with it? Or when Welch was "accidentally" caught? This was no accident. This is a case of premeditated murder.. Michael Welch knew full well what he was doing. He knew the minute he left work with sledgehammer in tow. We cannot let this "man" get away with Dusty�s murder! Please contact the prosecutor and ask that Michael Welch receive the MAXIMUM SENTENCE for this brutal act. Ask him to send a clear message that this type of cruelty will not be tolerated. Robert McCulloch, Prosecutor 100 S. Central Avenue Second Floor Clayton, MO 63105 Phone: 314-615-2600 Email: [email protected] Mr. Dale Hood Prosecuting Attorney's Office St. Louis County 100 South Central Clayton, MO 63105 |
| The prosecutor's office is fully prosecuting this case. Michael Welch was in custody but has been released on $10,000 bond. Welch has hired a very well-known top former prosecutor named Nels Moss to defend him. Moss will try to get continuances to try and wait until all the heat over this dies down before his client gets in front of a judge or jury. Missouri recently passed an Animal Abuse statute which classifies animal cruelty as a Class A Misdemeanor. However, if "torture or mutilation" is involved (as in this case), the charge is upgraded to a Class D Felony with a $5,000 fine and 5-year jail term possible. There is a lot of furor locally about this case, and AR demonstrators have protested outside Welch's home. The Prosecutor's office has been receiving about 100 calls a day on this. In case anyone wishes to let Michael T Welch know how they feel about what he did to a helpless creature, his address is: 10842 Antrill Drive St. Louis, MO 63123 Phone: 314-845-1827 |
| Michael Welch's first court appearance is August 21, 2001. |
| For bumper stickers, t-shirts or the latest update, call: The Dusty Hotline 314-808-4800 |
| Sample Letter Written By Sandra Hender PTI Writer |
| Dear On June 9th of this year, Dusty a Labrador/Dalmatian BI-breed was subjected to a horrid, brutal death at the hands of his guardian. Michael Welch had adopted Dusty from a shelter. Dusty had been scheduled for euthanasia in less than 24 hours. It is too bad he had not been euthanised earlier. It would have been so much more humane had he been gently put to sleep than what this poor precious dog endured. Dusty had been left UNATTENDED with Welch's 3 year old toddler. No one knows what happened, but Dusty nipped the youngster in which the child required 2 stitches. This baby had provoked Dusty, as he is just a baby and didn't know any better. Dusty did what ANY dog would have done under the same circumstances. He defended himself. No dog has any way of knowing that a "little person" is different from a "big person". Dusty had no way of knowing this child was just being a typical baby. When Welch came home, he went to work on Dusty with a sledgehammer and a baseball bat. He brutally beat this poor, defenseless helpless dog to death. His screams were heard by neighbors; however, Welch's wife and children reportedly "slept" through this entire incident. Welch claims that the bludgeoning death of Dusty was purely an "accident". No sane person can possibly believe this obvious lie. Furthermore, it is hard to believe his wife "slept through" this never hearing anything. Unless, she is stone deaf, this is not possible since several neighbors heard Dusty's pitiful screeching. Welch needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Not only that, a man with such obvious unstable control has no business being around ANYTHING that lives and breathes. When his children anger him enough, it is extremely likely he will beat them to death too. There are laws that protect kids from this kind of insanity. Animals subjected to horrid torture like this tend to get overlooked in a lot of cases; it seems those in control of the law sometimes don't think of animals as having rights. You sir, have control of this situation. You can see to it this man never has the opportunity to cause such horrendous suffering ever again to another animal. Please, please try to imagine the tremendous pain Dusty suffered. Imagine someone slugging you with a sledgehammer, and how it would feel. Multiply that a few times for Dusty who is much smaller than a man. I pray and trust you to use the full extent of your power to put this insane lunatic away; to not only keep him from ever owning another animal; but to keep him away from all animals forever. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Sincerely, |
| Sample Letter Written By Lynn Walker PTI Writer |
| To: [email protected] Subject: Michael Welch Prosection Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch 100 S. Central Avenue Clayton, MO 63105 Dear Attorney McCulloch: I ask you to aggressively prosecute Michael Welch (who doesn't deserve to be called a man) who beat his dog to death with a sledgehammer. He should receive maximum punishment allowed by law. I understand he claimed it was an accident - when? When he left his child alone? When he came back with a sledgehammer? When he beat the dog to death? Or, more realistically, when he got caught and wanted to save his own cowardly tail? I would like to know why child neglect charges are not also already brought against both the parents, in addition to cruelty charges against Michael Welch. A father who leaves his child alone for 3 hours and a mother who sleeps through a dog being beaten to death surely could not protect a child needing help or attention. That child should immediately be put in State custody. It isn't the species of the victim, it's the viciousness of the act that makes one culpable. Please do not allow this incident to be trivialized because the victim was a dog ? this time. Psychiatric or substance abuse evaluation/counseling shouldn't become a "sympathy" factor. He deserves all the sympathy he showed to this innocent puppy. Violent crime is still the same thing whether the victim walked on two legs or four. Sincerely Lynn Walker |
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| UPDATE |
| After hearing 90 minutes of testimony from two witnesses Tuesday, a judge ordered Michael Welch to stand trial on a charge of animal abuse over the death of his dog, Dusty. St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge Sandra Farragut- Hemphill said she found the testimony of Police Officer Brian Boedicker and Dan Knox, a veterinarian who performed the necropsy, sufficient to determine that "the torture element'' of the Missouri law had been met. The judge's ruling was greeted with spontaneous applause from a packed courtroom of animal rights activists. Wearing "Justice for Dusty'' t-shirts, about 100 demonstrators had gathered on the Plaza outside the courthouse between 8 and 9 a.m. Many carried placards seeking the maximum punishment for Welch, 32. "The first step has been completed. I feel really good,'' said Dara Hoffman, an organizer who has delivered petitions bearing more than 15,000 signatures to Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch. "Dusty is up there cheering. There was proof the dog was tortured.'' Dusty died June 9 in the back yard of Welch's home in Green Park. Police officer Brian Boedicker testified that Welch had admitted to him he beat the dog. Boedicker said he found a blood-splattered, 15-20-pound sledgehammer and a child's baseball bat on a blood-covered patio. The Dalmatian- Labrador mix was in a plastic bag near the fence, Boedicker said. Dan Knox, a veterinarian and manager of St. Louis County Animal Control, performed the necropsy on Dusty and testified that the dog had received multiple blows to the head and a fractured lower jaw. Defense attorney Nels Moss argued that Dusty could have died or been rendered unconscious by a single blow and therefore suffered no pain after that. Moss also contended that Boedicker never got permission from Welch to enter the premises and observe the crime scene. Prosecutor Dale Hood said the multiple blows Dusty suffered meant he was tortured. Moreover, Hood said, Welch voluntarily took Boedicker to his back yard and Welch wasn't in custody at the time. Farragut-Hemphill rejected the arguments by Moss, refused to suppress evidence and ordered Welch to stand trial where the maximum penalty upon convicton is five years in prison - - a sentence the animal rights activists are seeking. |
| Source |
| St. Louis Today August 21, 2001 |
| Your (printable) comments on getting Welch jail time may be sent to: [email protected] |
| UPDATE |
| SAMPLE LETTER: Please seek maximum penalty against Michael Welch Dear Mr. Hood, I write to thank you for charging Michael Welch with a Class D felony for allegedly beating his dog to death with a sledgehammer and a baseball bat after the dog bit his son on the nose, and to urge you not to accept any plea agreement that keeps this case from going to trial. As you may know, social scientists and law enforcement officials have identified animal abuse as a symptom of emotional illness and a precursor to violent crimes against human beings. As a society, we must call a halt to the acceptance of cruelty to animals and enforce a policy of harsh punishment for these crimes. To allow individuals guilty of perpetrating such cruel acts to go unpunished or not sufficiently punished would be to sanction these horrific crimes and would permit them to go on to commit serious and violent crimes against humans. A settlement conference has been set for Jan. 2, 2002. I request that the harshest penalty be imposed against Michael Welch, including the maximum jail sentence. In addition, I request that he receive mandatory psychological counseling and be prohibited from ever owning or harboring animals. Please send a strong message to the community that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated by a civilized society by seeking the maximum penalty for this heinous crime. Thank you for your valuable time and consideration. Sincerely, |
| Sample Letter Above Provided By [email protected] |
| The Prosecuting Attorney and Nels Moss, the attorney for Michael T. Welch met on September 26th. Mr Moss asked for another extension on the case (4th or 5th one) and was granted one until January 2, 2002. No reason was given for this extension. He also asked for a change of venue because he did not believe that his client could get a fair trial in the Saint Louis area. This request was being considered by the judge, and no decision has been made yet. The reason for any of the extensions is not known except that this is a common practice of Mr. Moss. Source: www.apagc.com Check this website for more on Justice for Dusty. Update Provided By [email protected] |
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| Please see contact information further down on this page. |
| KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A May 13 trial has been set here for a St. Louis-area man accused of bludgeoning his dog with a sledgehammer and baseball bat. Michael Welch, 33, of Green Park, will be tried in Jackson County on a venue change from St. Louis County, where a judge ruled that "an extremely hostile environment'' against the man tainted would-be jurors there. Welch is charged with felony animal abuse in the alleged June 9 beating death of Dusty, his family's 18-month-old Dalmation-Labrador mix. Prosecutors said Welch beat the dog for more than an hour before going inside and drinking beer, then returned and beat the dog for another hour. Welch told police he did it out of anger over the dog's biting the nose of his 2-year-old son. The case outraged animal-rights activists, who have filed petitions seeking the maximum punishment -- five years behind bars and a $5,000 fine. |
| STL Today.com |
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| UPDATE |
| 6/4/02: Dog-Beating Suspect to Go on Trial (St. Louis County, Mo.) |
| A Missouri man accused of beating his dog to death with a sledgehammer and a baseball bat last June is now scheduled to go on trial November 12. Michael Welch of Green Park, Mo., has been charged with felony animal abuse. Though a resident of St. Louis County, Welch will be tried in Jackson County, on the opposite end of the state. The change of venue was granted at a January hearing by a judge who cited the "extremely hostile environment" that had been created by publicity about the case. The date for the trial has been changed several times. Welch is accused of beating Dusty, a Dalmation-Labrador mix, for more than two hours before the dog died. Police say Welch told them he was angry because Dusty had bitten the nose of his 2-year-old son. If convicted, Welch could be sentenced to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. |
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