MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – The mother and son accused of throwing two dogs off the Dog River Bridge appeared in court Friday morning for a bond hearing.
72-year-old Mary Rivers and 18-year-old Tavoris Gallery are charged with two counts of first-degree cruelty to a dog, which is considered a class c felony.
Both were given a $15,000 bond for each charge. And are ordered to have no contact with animals.
This all started after a video showed two miniature pinschers being thrown off Dog River Bridge, which stands 73 feet above the water, last Saturday.
The pair were originally charged with misdemeanors but that was changed after a review by several city organizations and the district attorney’s office.
“We believe that the evidence shows that these two defendants intended to kill or cause serious physical injury to both of these dogs there are some circumstances surrounding the investigation that would lead us to believe that. We think that they discussed alternative ways to potentially kill the dogs and that that’s what they meant to do,” District Attorney Keith Blackwood said.
Both Rivers and Gallery pleaded not guilty. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 6th.
“This was horrific conduct. These are dogs and you know dogs and cats are domestic pets. They can’t be mistreated. We very often find that people that will mistreat animals in this way can become violent and mistreat humans, so it is something that we take very seriously and something that we’re going to prosecute to the fullest extent,” Blackwood said.
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