- Mississippi, USA -
UPDATE: May 1, 2021
UPDATE on Buddy’s case, the innocent dog who was SENSELESSLY and CRUELLY tortured and set on fire.
The Reward leading to a criminal conviction surpassed $10,000.
The evil monster responsible for this despicable act of cruelty has confessed to the crime and Tate County Sheriff’s Department Brad Lance is frustrated because no criminal charges will be filed.
Sheriff Lance wrote in a Facebook post: “While this terrible act is a felony crime punishable by up to 3 years in prison, under Mississippi law no person under the age of 12 can be charged with a crime.”
As you can only imagine, following his post, the public was rightfully and understandably outraged.
In response to the public’s reaction Sheriff Lance wrote: “I have fielded numerous calls, emails, and messages concerning my post from yesterday. We are just as frustrated as anyone that more cannot be done through the justice system regarding the juvenile in this case. I have had people railing that I should “do the right thing” and “do your job” - Whether they believe it's the right thing or not, I am bound to follow the laws of our state.”
The post continues to say: “Our investigators worked hard on this case and they also are frustrated. We didn't write the laws of our state. We have exercised every available option under the law. If this offender had been an adult, they would be sitting in jail facing up to three years in state prison and I would be able to release almost every detail of the case. While I can tell everyone that things are being done regarding this juvenile, I am prohibited from releasing details. We are sworn law enforcement officers, we are not lawmakers.”
News3Channel reports that Sheriff Lance said a lot of the messages are about what should happen to the culprit and what needs to be done to him, and his deputies are now investigating a possible threat to the child.
Reportedly, someone offered a reward on social media for the identity of the juvenile’s family.
Sheriff Lance said he reached out to one state lawmaker hoping to get the statute changed during the next legislative session.
Lawmakers in Mississippi need to get their crap together and protect the victims, NOT the offenders regardless of their age!!!
~ Original story:
The Tate County Sheriff’s Department is reaching out to the public in hopes of finding the human feces who SENSELESSLY and CRUELLY set an innocent dog on fire.
FOX13 reports that the sheriff’s department asked the Tunica HumaneSociety to take responsibility for the dog’s medical care.
On April 24, the shelter wrote in a Facebook post about the furbaby named Buddy: “Sadly, Buddy's prognosis isn't good right now. If this dog can recover, he will have a long, long road ahead. His face is so swollen from the burns, his eyes are not visible at the moment. Dr. Lisa says he will likely have to undergo surgery, if his eyes can be saved at all. He is likely to have damage to his nasal cavity that could require another surgery. All of the burnt flesh on his face will be peeling off in the days to come. And his body can become consumed with infection from all of the trauma. Hopefully, Buddy can bounce back from all of this but not without all of our prayers.”
After checking for new developments, I have learned from an update posted on April 25: “Buddy is doing better than we expected at this point. He is eating well and wagging his tail. Right now he is on heavy pain medication to keep him comfortable.
The burnt skin on Buddy's face began to crack and come apart today. Dr. Godfrey was better able to see his eye lids. We still don't know if he will be able to see at this point. Lisa was encouraged that some of the burns on his face weren't as deep as we feared in the beginning so we are very, very excited about that.
Buddy will be transferring to Dr. Cory Fisher on Monday at Bluff City Vet Specialists. Under his instructions, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Pam Chandler cleaned Buddy's wounds today and wrapped his head in bandages to protect his delicate skin as the damaged skin begins to come off his face. This will also cut down on the chances of more infection.”
A reward is being offered in exchange for information leading to the conviction of the trashy individual(s) responsible for this heinous crime.
According to a post of April 24, the reward was $2,500.
If you have information about this act of senseless cruelty, please, do the right thing and come forward.
You can submit your tips by calling Detective Lisa Sanders with the Tate County Sheriff's Department at (662) - 562 - 4434. Thank you!
If you can afford to contribute toward Buddy’s medical care, please click here. Thank you!
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
