Oakland man accused of burning puppy alive in crate in Sacramento

Willie Bee Turner, 20, of Oakland, was arrested by Sacramento County authorities on suspicion of felony animal cruelty after a puppy was found burned alive in a dog crate on a Sacramento street in January. Willie Bee Turner, 20, of Oakland, was arrested by Sacramento County authorities on suspicion of felony animal cruelty after a puppy was found burned alive in a dog crate on a Sacramento street in January. Photo: Courtesy / Sacramento County Sheriff Photo: Courtesy / Sacramento County Sheriff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Oakland man accused of burning puppy alive in crate in Sacramento 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An Oakland man was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty for allegedly burning a dog alive in a crate that he dumped on a Sacramento street, officials said Friday.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 22, crews from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to what was reported as a small debris fire outside the Oak Plains Masonic Lodge on Becerra Way.

They discovered the fire was contained to a small plastic dog carrier — with the charred remains of a 8- or 9-month-old puppy inside, officials said.

A necropsy determined that the dog was a small, tan-colored, mixed-breed female that had been burned alive while trapped inside the dog carrier.

An investigation was launched by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, and a hefty reward was offered by the Sacramento SPCA, funded mostly by community donations.

Aided by tips from the public, authorities arrested 20-year-old Oakland resident Willie Bee Turner on Thursday. His bail was set at $35,000.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale