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Written by: E. George
Published November 5, 2024 @ 12:45 PM ET
Warning: The following report describes alleged violence against animals.
MURRAY COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities arrested a 52-year-old Chatsworth man after witnesses reported that he had viciously struck a neighbor’s dog in the head with a pipe, killing it. The dog owner told the responding Murray County Sheriff’s deputy that William Fitzgerald Norris had killed her dog in her yard in front of her three juvenile children.
The deputy noted that the black and white border collie was twitching on the ground with blood on his head and in his eyes. The report revealed the canine was lying in the yard approximately 20 feet from the roadway, and “it appeared the dog was dying from a serious head injury.”
A witness said Norris was swinging an object, possibly a pipe, attached to a rope at the pets in the yard before striking the border collie in the head. When asked about the suspect’s location during the attack, she said he was swinging the pipe from the road but was in the yard when he hit the dog, with a second witness corroborating the account.
The deputy observed blood near the dog in the yard and none in or near the street. People at the scene asked the deputy to “put the dog down because it was suffering,” but the deputy said no.
Animal control was contacted but could not respond; they advised the family to transport the canine to a local veterinary office. The children’s mother said the dog was between one and a half and two years old.
Additional deputies arrived and attempted to make contact with Norris, but a man at his house told them he was not there. They searched the area but could not locate him.
The deputy was informed that the dog had passed away. Norris faces charges of criminal trespass and animal cruelty.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 08/23/2024 at 19:30, Deputy Maddox was dispatched to [500 BLOCK] Ridley RD, Chatsworth, GA 30705 in reference to a disturbance. Dispatch stated that the caller, [VICTIM #1], said that William Norris (Suspect) had killed her dog in front of her children. I, SFC Watson, was nearby and responded as well.
Upon my arrival, I did see a black and white dog on the ground in the yard. The dog was twitching and it had blood on it’s head and in its eyes. It appeared the dog was dying from a serious head injury. The dog appeared to be about twenty feet into the yard from the roadway.
[WITNESS #1] was in the yard. I spoke to her and she said she had seen what happened. She said William had been swing an object attached to a rope, possibly a pipe, at the dogs in the yard. She said he then hit the black and white dog in the head. I asked if it happened in the road or the yard. She said he had been swinging at the dogs from the road, but he was in the yard when he hit the dog. There was blood on the ground near the dog. I checked the road way and I did not see blood on the road or near the road. The only blood I saw was where the dog was located.
Subjects on scene did ask if I could put the dog down because it was suffering. I advised them that I would not. I did have Dispatch contact Animal Control. Dispatch later advised me that Animal Control would not be able to respond and suggested the family take the dog to a veterinarian.
While on scene, I also spoke to [WITNESS #2]. She said she lived at [500 BLOCK] Ridley RD. [WITNESS #2] said that she had seen the suspect come into the yards and attack the the dogs by swinging an object at them.
I spoke to [VICTIM #1]. She lived at this address and the dog had belonged to her. She stated she had seen William Norris come into the yard and attack the dog. She said her three juvenile children had also seen what the suspect did to the dog. She stated the only reason she did not do anything to the suspect was because she had to get the children inside. [VICTIM #1] stated the dog was a male Border Collie and was between one and a half and two years old.
Deputy Maddox and Deputy Windom had arrived on scene after me. Subjects on scene had told us that William Norris had walked back towards his house at [400 BLOCK] Ridley RD, Chatsworth, GA 30705. We went to that address. A man answered the door and said that William was not there. The other Deputies and I continued to patrol the area to attempt to locate the suspect, but we did not locate him.
After checking the area, I called [VICTIM #1] by phone. I asked if she could call back and let me know if the dog died. She stated that dog had already died.
The Property-General section of this report list the dog with a value of $1.00. This does not represent the actual value of the dog. The actual value of the dog is unknown to me at this time and $1.00 was entered because the report required a value to be entered.
I will be taking a warrant on William Norris for aggravated cruelty to animals for killing the dog. I will also be taking a warrant on William Norris for criminal trespass for coming onto the property without permission for the unlawful purpose of killing the dog.
[End of Narrative]