A Davenport man is in the Scott County Jail on charges of animal abuse and abandonment of cats and dogs after police say he kept dogs and puppies inside a vehicle for at least two days.
According to the criminal complaint, Davenport Police were called to the 500 block of Oak Street on December 17 at about 9:30 p.m. regarding a wanted person in a vehicle. When they arrived, they found a vehicle parked at the address with two adult dogs and five puppies that were born the night before inside. There was a space heater in the vehicle with a cord running from the home to the vehicle to power the space heater. There was no water inside the vehicle and both adult dogs appeared to be malnourished because their ribs were showing.
Officers spoke with Kasey Berkenbile, 41, and learned he was keeping the dogs inside the vehicle because they weren’t allowed in the house, according to the complaint. He said that was because they didn’t get along with the other dogs there. Berkenbile had to be summoned to the address because he wasn’t there when officers arrived. The residents said the vehicle had been sitting there for two days and they didn’t know how often the dogs were let out to relieve themselves.
Berkenbile was arrested and charged with seven counts of misdemeanor animal abuse and seven counts of misdemeanor abandoning cats/dogs. He is being held in the Scott County Jail on a secured $4,200 bond while he waits for his next court appearance…