BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two were charged with animal cruelty after a dog was found severely malnourished with broken legs. One suspect threw the dog down the steps.
On August 16, 2024, Beckley Police responded to a complaint of animal neglect at 107 Wickham Ave, Apt C. The Emergency Operations Center informed me that the complainant had video evidence showing neighbors mistreating a dog, which appeared malnourished and possibly had broken legs. Upon arrival, police spoke with Danyell Wolcott, who claimed the injured dog was hers and stated it had hurt itself by falling off a bed. Police noticed the dog was severely malnourished, with both back legs not functioning, swollen, and having open wounds. Wolcott explained that her other dogs had been biting its legs, causing the injuries. When the police mentioned the need for veterinary care, she did not know where to find a veterinarian, so the police gave her directions to the nearest office before leaving.
Officers inquired about the claim of the dog being thrown down the steps, and Wolcott denied it. A man with her, identified as Tristan Primeaux, seemed nervous when he was questioned about the incident and was evasive in his responses. More witnesses later came to the police department and shared the earlier video footage. This video, time-stamped for August 16, 2024, at 3:01 PM, showed Primeaux dragging the dog by the neck behind a car. A few moments later, he chased the dog up the stairs, hit it, and threw it down the steps while the dog whimpered, after which Primeaux said, “Try that again.” One witness also provided another video dated August 9, 2024, showing the same dog with apparent injuries to its back legs, along with a written statement about the incident.
Given the dog’s condition, having gone more than a week without medical care and being severely malnourished, Officers sought warrants against Wolcott for animal cruelty. Additionally, due to Primeaux’s actions of striking and throwing the injured dog down the steps, police pursued felony animal cruelty charges against him.
On August 17, 2024, Police confirmed that Primeaux had given a false name; he was identified as Tristin Wolcott through a signature provided during a Livescan at Beckley PD. As a result, Police refiled warrants against Wolcott for felony animal cruelty and obstruction due to giving false identification. This incident occurred in the City of Beckley.
