A Grayville man is facing a charge of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals after police there found a cooler with six dead puppies inside. Officers were dispatched to a home on Spring Street just before 5pm Saturday in reference to a report of individuals fighting.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found nobody fighting, but residents told them 39-year-old Tyrel Linder of Fifth Street had been a problem, and they wanted him gone from the property. Additionally, officers say residents told them Linder had killed a half dozen puppies by placing them in a cooler. Officers then located Linder, detained him and they say he admitted to placing them in the cooler and that he’d closed the lid before going to sleep leading to their death. While officers investigated the property and cooler where they found the deceased puppies, they also found an apparent shallow grave recently dug with a shovel still present. During this time, they say Linder had an emotional outburst and headbutted the window of the police cruiser.
The officer who took Linder to the White County Jail says during transport, Linder made repeated attempts to bargain with the officer for release, made threats of hurting others that he said caused this, and attempted to remove his handcuffs while making repeated apologies for causing the death of the puppies. The report, photos, and body cam footage have been turned over to the state’s attorney for prosecution.