By Pat Culverhouse

A complaint of alleged animal theft led Minden police to a Quarles St. residence, leading to the arrest of a 43-year-old Minden man on numerous charges including felony theft and cruelty to animals.

Chief of Police Jared McIver said John J. Solomon is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on charges of felony theft, misdemeanor theft, felony cruelty to animals and nine counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. No bond has been set.

MPD Officer Jessica Thompson reportedly answered a complaint from a Verdis St. resident who claimed a man had taken her dogs from her yard. The witness told the officer she knew the location where her dogs had been taken.

When Officer Thompson arrived at Solomon’s residence in the 500 block of Quarles St. she reportedly observed 10 dogs chained in the yard. All the animals reportedly were in poor health and several had no food, water or shelter.

During a further search, the officer reportedly found a dead puppy in the back yard near a burn pile. According to the police report, animal control rescued the unclaimed dogs. Unfortunately, one animal was in such poor health it was taken to a local veterinary clinic to be euthanized.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.