WEST POINT, Ala. – Two Cullman County men were arrested in connection to the alleged shooting and killing of a dog owned by one of the men. The canine’s body was set on fire before being dumped at a separate location, according to local law enforcement.
In April 2023, officers responded to a call in the West Point community regarding a dog that had been killed, burned and dumped on the property of a private resident, according to Cullman County Animal Control Director Rodney Banister.
“On April 28, we received a call that a deceased canine had been dumped out onto private property,” he said.
Officials did not give a reason as to why the dog’s body was dumped at that location, but said it is believed to have been killed on the owner’s property before being transported to the private residence.
Banister said that following a long and intense investigation, officers were able to identify the deceased canine’s owner, whose home was not far from the dump site.
On May 23, 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for West Point resident Wesley Wayne McCravy, 33, for charges of criminal littering. He was taken into custody on May 24. According to Banister, McCravy was the owner of the deceased dog, and he contacted Joshua Lummie Speakman, 41, of West Point, to help him dispose of the carcass.
“We obtained warrants on both the owner (McCravy) and Speakman for criminal littering,” he said.
Speakman was arrested on May 31 and charged with criminal littering for his role in the dumping of the charred carcass.
The dog’s body was sent to Auburn University to be examined to determine if the dog had died before or after being set on fire, as charges could have been elevated to animal cruelty.
“A necropsy was performed on the animal and no further charges are expected. The dog was deceased prior to anything else,” Banister said.
According to reports, the owner, McCravy, allegedly returned home to find that his pit bull had killed a puppy. Reports substantiated by Banister and others within Cullman County government stated the pit bull was shot and killed by the owner, McCravy, before it was set on fire and ultimately loaded into a vehicle and driven to a dump location with Speakman.
McCravy and Speakman have both made bond.
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