An Ogden man is accused of throwing six, 3-week-old puppies out of his car window as he drove between Fruit Heights and Layton and then abandoning the puppies’ mother in Bountiful.
Memphis Lor, 25, was booked into the Davis County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of seven counts of torture of a companion animal.
On the morning of Oct. 23, Lor was headed southbound on U.S. 89 “when he intentionally and knowingly threw six, 3-week-old puppies out of his vehicle window. Two of the puppies were killed during the incident, and another puppy sustained serious injuries. Two other puppies were not injured and one puppy has not been located,” according to a prepared statement from the Davis County Sheriff’s Office. “Lor also intentionally left his dog, the mother of the puppies, on the side of the road near the Bountiful Pond.”
The puppies were found near Oak Hills Drive, according to a police booking affidavit. Investigators say the mother was “severely malnourished.”
“The mother of the puppies was found abandoned in West Bountiful, where she was found to be malnourished, emaciated and have overgrown nails,” the affidavit states.
One of Lor’s neighbors recognized the mother dog after seeing a post on social media and contacted Animal Control officers, who were then led to Lor.
“Memphis stated that he dropped the puppies off at around midnight on Highway 89. Memphis was asked to explain how he dropped them off. Memphis stated that he stopped dropped some off and then drove further and dropped off more,” the affidavit states.
But when police confronted Lor about his story not matching the evidence, “Memphis then explained that he was in the fast lane when he was driving and tossed them out of his vehicle. I asked Memphis how fast he was going and he said he was going the speed limit on the highway, which is 65 mph,” according to the affidavit.
He also allegedly said the mother dog was sick, but he hadn’t taken her to a vet in two years, the affidavit states.
“Memphis was asked why he got rid of the puppies and dog the way he did and he responded, I thought it would be easier to get rid of them. Memphis stated that he thought it would be an easier death. Memphis also initially stated that the mom had 10-11 puppies, but three of them passed away from being cold outside. Memphis stated that he kept the dog and puppies outside at all times,” according to the police affidavit.
The sheriff’s office is asking if anyone found a puppy on U.S. 89 near Oak Hills Drive to call them at 801-451-4150.