A Boston man is facing charges of animal cruelty after he was caught on video allegedly assaulting his dog at one of the region's busiest train stations.
MBTA Transit Police say witnesses taped 46-year-old John Bowen Monday night striking his Siberian Husky with a closed fist, kneeling on the dog and lifting it off the ground by the leash while at Boston's North Station.
"The dog was hit by the gentleman and at some point he lifted the dog up and smashed her on the sidewalk," said Amanda Kennedy, Director of Boston's Animal Care and Control.
Bowen was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday and held on $5,000 cash bail. His bail on an unrelated case out of Malden District Court was also revoked, prosecutors said.
necn has also learned that Bowen is homeless and a level 3 sex offender.
Bowen's 9-month-old dog, meanwhile, is currently limping but stable. The dog, named Sarah, is undergoing a physical evaluation at a Boston animal shelter, prosecutors said.
"She is limping on the back. We're not sure if it's both legs or one leg," Kennedy said. "We're assuming that it's probably related to the abuse last night."
U.S. & World
Bowen's next court date is Nov. 22. His attorney didn't immediately comment.
