Dogs beat with pipe wrench by CenterPoint worker, family says

A shocking surveillance video that surfaced Sunday shows a man who identified himself as a CenterPoint Energy worker beating a Kingwood family's dogs with a pipe wrench. A shocking surveillance video that surfaced Sunday shows a man who identified himself as a CenterPoint Energy worker beating a Kingwood family's dogs with a pipe wrench. Photo: Mike Wilcox Photo: Mike Wilcox Image 1 of / 65 Caption Close Dogs beat with pipe wrench by CenterPoint worker, family says 1 / 65 Back to Gallery

A shocking surveillance video that surfaced Sunday shows a man who identified himself as a CenterPoint Energy worker beating a Kingwood family's dogs with a pipe wrench.

Homeowner Mike Willcox said the family's 8-year-old Weimaraner bird dog, Flash, will undergo surgery Friday after suffering a swollen jaw, a concussion and a bloody cut near his eye.

The video shows a man wearing an orange CenterPoint vest walking into the backyard about 9:40 a.m. March 23.

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Willcox said the family didn't have an appointment with the energy company and when his wife went outside to gather the dogs, the man told her he was there to check the meter. Upon bringing the dogs inside, his wife saw Flash was bleeding near his eye.

Willcox went outside to find him, he saw the man raise his wrench to their other 8-year-old Weimaraner, Shutter.

"I told him to stop swinging his wrench at my dog and he said, 'If they come at me, I can swing if I want. I'm going to swing it again if they come at me," Willcox said.

Surveillance footage shows that when the dogs first approached him, the man raised a wrench in his hands and hit a dog across the face.

"They've never bitten anybody," Willcox said of his dogs. "They're very friendly. I've had them since they were puppies."

Willcox filed a complaint with CenterPoint Energy but had not heard back as of Monday morning.

A spokesperson for CenterPoint Energy submitted a statement to KHOU on Sunday afternoon.

"We have determined that a CenterPoint Energy contractor was at this address on this date. CenterPoint Energy does not condone or tolerate abuse of animals by our employees or our contractors. We have notified the contract company and they have assured us that they will conduct a full investigation into the incident."

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The Willcox family has filed a report with the Houston Police Department. The family expects an estimated $2,000 in vet bills.

"I don't think my dogs ever had a chance," Willcox said. "How many times has this happened to other people when they come home and see their dog injured and wonder what happened?"

When contacted about possible disciplinary action, CenterPoint did not immediately return calls from the Houston Chronicle.