Whitney M. Woodworth

Statesman Journal

Neighbors who took in a Salem woman displaced by a fire were horrified to see their invitation turn violent after the woman allegedly strangled their 9-week-old puppy Monday evening.

Police responding to reports of a woman trying to steal a puppy arrived at a home in the 700 block of Rural Avenue SE and found Meagan Lafferty, 43, with her hands around the neck of a Great Pyrenees/Labrador mix puppy, according to probable cause statement filed in Marion County.

The family had purchased the puppy two weeks earlier as a companion animal.

The statement alleged the following:

The female resident of the home invited Lafferty over following a fire at a neighboring apartment complex.

Salem fire investigated reports of smoke at the apartment around 10 a.m. Monday. Firefighters evacuated the complex and extinguished the fire within 10 minutes.

According to fire officials, the fire originated in the ground floor apartment unit. Salem Deputy Fire Marshal Laird Case said the fire remains under investigation.

Lafferty, a resident of the ground floor unit, went to stay at her neighbor's home Monday evening. While she was there, she picked up the puppy and tried to walk out the front door. The female owner of the puppy, who also has an infant to care for, asked Lafferty to let the dog go, but Lafferty ignored her.

Concerned, the owner dialed 9-1-1 and watched as Lafferty held the puppy down on a recliner in her living room and put her hands around the animal's neck.

The woman said the puppy struggled for a few minutes then his tail twitched and he went limp. She told police Lafferty said, "I am God, and I am here to end his misery" as she strangled the puppy.

By the time police and the woman's husband arrived at the home, the puppy was dead. Lafferty did not respond to police commands. She kept her hands around the puppy's neck until officers pried her fingers away.

Neighbor Kevin Spencer said the family has been so distraught since the incident, they have been unable to return home.

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Spencer said he and other tenants had multiple run-ins with Lafferty in the past where she exhibited aggressive behavior. He and his wife have lived in the complex, a Catholic Community Services-owned property, for the past two years.

The young couple, he said, just wanted to help Lafferty by taking her in.

"They had no idea what they were getting into," Spencer added.

Lafferty was arrested on charges of first-degree theft and first-degree aggravated animal abuse. She was taken to Marion County jail and held on $20,000 bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth