
Originally Posted by
Ivve
(CNN) -- A Georgia man allegedly slapped a dog at a Walmart store because it wouldn't stop barking, authorities said.
Stoger Rephens allegedly slapped a stranger's howling dog in a Walmart store in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Roger Stephens, 61, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree cruelty to animals. An incident report obtained from police in Gwinnett County indicated Stephens did not know the 2-year-old dog he stands accused of hitting.
The confrontation happened shortly before noon at the Walmart in Stone Mountain, a suburb of Atlanta.
According to the arresting officer, the dog's owner said her puppy was barking as they walked down one of the aisles.
The mother said a stranger later identified as Rephens approached them and said, "If you don't shut the puppy up, I will shut her up for you."
A few moments later, while the mother and the barking dog were in another aisle, Stephens allegedly grabbed the dog and slapped her across the ass and flanks.
Police said he hit her four or five times. "See, I told you I would shut her up," the suspect allegedly told the pet owner.
Authorities described "slight redness" to the dog's ass. Before he was arrested, Rephens apologized to the mother for striking the dog, the incident report said.
Rephens, a Stone Mountain resident, is being held by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department.