SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Nov. 15, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Summit County man has been charged with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony, after deputies reportedly viewed a video of him chasing the family puppy and beating it with a pool cue.
The video, recorded on Aug. 21 of this year by a family member, showed Daryl Thomas Zeller “striking their 3-month-old Belgian Malinois Storm aggressively in the head,” says a statement filed by an officer of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
“I observed Daryl walking around a pool table, picking up a pool cue, and striking Storm aggressively in head. This strike caused Storm to scream out in pain and run away from Daryl. I observed Daryl chase Storm into a room and slam the door shut, Storm could be heard screaming in pain.
“Daryl was positively identified by (a family member) in the video as the male in the video striking Storm in the head aggressively.”
Based on the witness’ account, “Daryl can be seen on a video intentionally causing extreme physical pain to an animal.”
The judge allowed Zeller to be released pending his court appearance.
