Woman drove truck with puppy tied to it until it died, police say

SELMA, N.C. (WNCN) – A Garner woman is charged with animal cruelty after tying a puppy to a truck and driving around in a Selma parking lot until it was dead earlier this month, according to Selma police.

The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on July 5 at the Knights Inn at 100 Graham Street, police said.

In the incident report, police said witnesses at the motel described Gloria Mitchell dragging the puppy with a pickup truck even after people tried to get her to stop.

The police report says “there was a lot of screaming in the background” when a 911 call was made.

Then when police and EMS arrived, Mitchell, 45, acted “hostile and aggressive,” according to the report. 

Mitchell had a blood-alcohol level of .347, according to the police report. 

“She couldn’t even walk. She was stumbling everywhere,” said witness Vikki Latner.

Police noted in the report that Mitchell “had a very strong odor of alcohol coming from her person as I was able to smell it from several feet away.”

According to police, the dog leash was attached “to the front of her truck” when the woman drove off.

Police said after the dog died, the suspect crashed her truck into at least one U-Haul moving van.

“Whether it’s a puppy, a bird, a child — it’s a life. Why?,” Latner asked.

The report said Mitchell was charged with communicating threats for what she said to police and EMS workers. 

Police obtained video of the incident and said in the report they could see the puppy being dragged.

Mitchell, of the 100 block of Long Drive in Garner, was booked in the Johnston County Jail.

She’s scheduled to next appear in court later this month.