Animal rescue owner arrested for stomping dog's skull

Garrett Mitchell | The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX -- A Phoenix man is in police custody after investigators said he stomped a Maltipoo to death after the dog had been attacked by another animal, according to court documents.

Scott William Beadles, 37, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty following the Jan. 12 incident when he said he had stomped the injured dog's skull after it got into a fight with a pit bull, according to police.

The incident first came to light when Beadles discussed it with an acquaintance at PetSmart, where he picked up kennels from earlier that day, police said.

Beadles told the PetSmart volunteer that two dogs, a pit bull and a Maltipoo, a cross between a Maltese and a poodle, had gotten into a fight and he'd gone to break it up, according to court records. By the time he'd reached the animals, however, the pit bull had run off, leaving the Maltipoo whimpering and unable to stand.

The report stated that Beadles does not own a gun so he "put it out of its misery" by kicking and stomping its head.

The Maltipoo's body was discovered in a trash can by Beadles' landlord who was notified about the incident by the acquaintance.

Examination of the dog's body revealed it sustained multiple skull fractures after being kicked and stomped following the dog fight, police said.

Beadles and his wife have operated an animal rescue called Furry Smiles that was established in 2011.