ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A man has been charged with animal cruelty after three animals that had been left in his care were found dead in a home Aug. 8.
According to a release from the Clarksville Police Department, a military couple asked their longtime friend, Jonathan Brooks, to take care of their pets while they were away for training. The couple has four dogs, five cats, two birds, and two guinea pigs.
Brooks, 29, agreed to live in the couple’s home on McKenzie Dr. while they were away to care for the pets. Before leaving July 28, the couple left Brooks a list of instructions as well as a credit card for vet/medical expenses and a debit card for anything else. The wife told police she spoke to Brooks several times after she was gone and he told her everything was going well.
A second friend later went to check on the animals and found them dead.
A preliminary necropsy report from the pets’ owner preformed indicated the dog did not have any contents in its entire digestive tract and had not eaten for an extended period of time. It also suggests the dog had been dead around 3-4 days. The bird also lacked intestinal contents and showed signs of possible dehydration. Based on these findings, police determined the pets died from neglect and abandonment.
Jonathan Brooks was booked into the Montgomery County Jail Wednesday on four counts of animal cruelty and is out on a $10,000 bond.