OPD arrests Olney man in dog cruelty case

Olney police seized a malnourished dog that officers found in a garage on North Avenue G and arrested the owner’s friend for animal cruelty.

Jeffery Ethan Ford, 30, was arrested on Nov. 6 after his girlfriend called Olney Animal Control to pick up the emaciated dog named Zeke from 909 N. Ave. G, according to a police report.

Destyne Gray, 27, told Officer Hawkins that her boyfriend, Mr. Ford, “had been keeping a dog in the garage and that she wanted to relinquish the dog to animal control,” the report said.

The dog was owned by Alton Smith, an Olney man who has been jailed on drugs and burglary charges.

“An interview was conducted with [Mr. Smith], the known owner of Zeke, who is incarcerated in the Young County Jail,” the report said. “Smith stated that his mother took Zeke in when he got arrested. Smith said that around the first part of October, his mother told him he needed to find someone else to keep Zeke.”

Mr. Smith then contacted Mr. Ford, who agreed to take Zeke and care for him until Smith got out of jail, the report said.

“Smith added that his mother agreed if Ford took Zeke, she would continue to supply dog food for him,” the report said.

Officer Hawkins spoke to Mr. Smith’s mother, who said that she had been giving Mr. Ford dog food for Zeke. Officer Hawkins also contacted Zeke’s veterinarian, whose records showed that the dog weighed 130 pounds on Aug. 17, 2023.

Zeke weighed 58 pounds when Officer Hawkins took him to Salt Creek Veterinary Clinic for an evaluation, the report said. He also had “a large number of fleas … fecal balls matted between his toes and hind limbs … and external parasite infestation, dehydration, secondary hemolysis, and liver damage injuries from malnourishment and ingestion of fleas and flea feces,” the report said.