Man charged with felony in case involving dog being dragged by truck

A defendant has been charged by the Denver District Attorney’s Office in an animal cruelty case in which a dog, leashed to the back of a pickup truck, was dragged by the moving vehicle and later died.

The incident happened about 3 p.m. March 1 in the area of South Platte Drive and West Mississippi Avenue, police said.

Investigators, based on a tip through Crime Stoppers, found the vehicle and identified Jacob Ibarra, 24, as a suspect. Ibarra was taken into custody Friday and was held on investigation of animal cruelty and tampering with evidence, police announced Tuesday.

On the day of the incident, Ibarra allegedly fled the scene after bringing the truck to a stop and releasing the dog from a leash. The dog, which was left behind, was taken to a local animal hospital and pronounced dead.

Several witnesses told investigators that the truck was traveling at about 45 mph and the dog had been leashed to the passenger side of the Chevrolet S10, according to an arrest affidavit. Other drivers in the area honked their horns to alert the truck driver of the situation. There was a passenger in the Chevy at the time of the incident.

A tipster in the case told investigators that after the incident the suspect was “hiding” the truck and “trying to get rid of it,” the affidavit said. The truck was found in a Commerce City yard, locked behind a gate but in view. The suspect vehicle had been spray painted all black, and there was no license plate on the vehicle. A Colorado temporary license tag, which was on the suspect vehicle at the time of the incident, was found on the front passenger seat. The truck was impounded.

Ibarra has been charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence, a Class Six felony, and with two counts of cruelty to animals, a Class One misdemeanor, according to the DA’s office.