A Callao man faces a misdemeanor animal abuse charge stemming from a July incident at a Macon gas station, according to documents filed Aug. 6 in Macon County Circuit Court.
Evetes J. Stahl, of Callao, is charged with animal abuse, a class A misdemeanor under Section 578.012 RSMo. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Cody Wells filed the information and requested a summons. The information alleges that on or about July 25, Stahl purposely caused injury or suffering to a dog by dragging the dog by his collar and hitting the dog multiple times.
A probable cause statement by Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jermey Nelson says he was dispatched at about 1:35 p.m. July 25 on a report of a man punching a dog in the head. An employee at the business told Nelson she was checking out a customer when she noticed a man at the gas pumps arguing with a woman over a dog and pulling the dog by the throat from a maroon car, the statement says. The employee said the man dragged the dog to his truck by the collar and hit the dog multiple times once it was inside, then got back out and argued with someone in the back seat of the SUV before leaving.
The woman who reported the incident later provided a written statement, according to the deputy. She wrote that she pulled in for gas and saw the man pull the dog from a maroon Jeep Cherokee to a Ford F-150 by the dog’s throat and repeatedly punch the dog with his right fist while yelling and screaming, and that it continued until he got into the truck and left, the statement says.
Nelson wrote that he went to Stahl’s residence, advised him of his Miranda rights at about 1:56 p.m. and asked whether he had punched the dog after getting it into his truck. Stahl said no, according to the statement, and said he pulled the dog to his truck by the collar because the dog would not listen to him.
A class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in the county jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
The case is filed as 26MA-CR00226.
Paper policy is to run publish all felonies and misdemeanors only when they involve allegations of violence, harm to children, or egregious circumstances. A charge is an accusation. Stahl is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.