A Kentucky man has been arrested after he allegedly set his wife’s dogs on fire and threatened to shoot her after she confronted him about his affair with another woman.
Bobby Atkinson allegedly made the threat to kill his wife during a morning altercation on Thursday, May 21, at their home in Louisville, according to WAVE.
Atkinson’s wife told police they got into the argument in their house about another woman. After she confronted him, she claimed that Atkinson, 37, got out a handgun as she got her children ready for school.
“While holding the handgun to his side, the perpetrator advanced on the victim and made the statement, ‘If we didn’t have a daughter together I’d shoot you and stand over you,’” an arrest citation viewed by the Louisville Courier Journal read.
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Atkinson’s wife then left the home with her children and tried to obtain an emergency protective order. The wife reportedly learned from a friend that Atkinson was expecting a child with another woman and she later returned to their home to retrieve her medication, according to the Courier Journal.
Upon her return, Atkinson’s wife allegedly heard a smoke alarm and smelled something burning in the home.
One of the dogs was found beneath a bed. The dog then emerged “covered in ash” and appeared to be suffering open wounds and had burned fur, according to WAVE. The woman later told police the dogs were covered in ash, as well as appeared to have some sort of accelerant on their fur.
Both dogs were taken to Louisville Metro Animal Services for treatment and their conditions are not currently known.
Atkinson was arrested around 3:40 p.m. on May 21, according to the Courier Journal.
He has since been charged with two counts of torture of a dog or cat, two counts of second-degree cruelty to animals, one count of menacing and one count of third-degree terroristic threatening, according to online jail records viewed by Us Weekly.
Atkinson attended his arraignment hearing on Friday, May 22, and pleaded not guilty. His bond was initially set at $20,000, though a judge later raised it to $50,000, per WAVE.
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Following the incident, Atkinson’s wife told WAVE she feared for her family’s safety.
Meanwhile, The Arrow Fund executive director Shelia Joneleit told the outlet that the allegations against Atkinson showed a correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence.
“When people set dogs on fire because they’re trying to make a point with their ex-spouse, it is pure terror,” Joneleit said. “It’s pure torture of the animal.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
