PROVO — A Provo man accused of regularly beating his puppy now faces criminal charges.
Eric John Taylor, 31, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony.
Between March 1 and April 10, Taylor owned a 9-month-old Labrador that he "repeatedly" beat, according to charging documents.
"(He) beat the dog's head against the concrete floor of a garage, causing the dog to have a golf-ball sized lump on his head," the charges state.
On April 10, police say one of Taylor's roommates awoke to the sound of the dog being beaten again.
"The roommate looked out this window and recorded (Taylor) beating his dog. (He) threw the dog across the deck. (Taylor) then called the dog to him and when the dog refused to comply and cowered, (he) pulled the dog towards (him) and punched the dog several times," the charges state "This behavior was repeated and police were called. The roommate said that (Taylor) regularly beats the dog to the point that it whimpers."
The dog "was taken into custody and impounded at the South Utah Valley Animal Shelter," a police affidavit states.