West, Texas man pleads guilty to animal cruelty for beating, kicking dog

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A West man pleaded guilty Wednesday to beating, kicking and choking a dog with a collar and locking dogs in a car with no open windows or water for hours at a time.

Hunter Thomas Jordan, 20, pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony animal cruelty charge in exchange for a recommendation from the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office that he be placed on deferred probation for three years, fined $500 and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service at an animal shelter.

Judge Susan Kelly accepted Jordan’s guilty plea and will review a background report by probation officers before deciding if she will accept the plea agreement.

According to documents filed in the case, Bellmead animal control officers were called to the Delta Inn, 1320 Behrens Circle, on May 16, 2023, to investigate reports that Jordan “was locking dogs in a white car with no open windows or water for several hours at a time in the day and night.”

Officers went to Jordan’s motel room and discovered four dogs, three to five puppies and a cat in the room, which the officers reported smelled of feces and urine. Hotel management had given Jordan until noon that day to check out, according to arrest reports.

About five minutes after the animal control officers left, Bellmead police received a report that Jordan was beating a brown dog in the motel parking lot. Security video showed Jordan grabbing the dog after it jumped out of the car window, punching it several times and yanking it in the air by its collar until all four feet were off the ground, arrest records state. Jordan threw the dog into the car and “repeatedly hit it,” according to records.

Police spoke to a witness, who reported seeing Jordan “repeatedly punch the dog with a closed fist, kick it and carry it by its collar,” documents allege.

Jordan, who remains free on bond, told officers he “popped” his dog twice on the hind quarters, police reported.