Rochester man accused of beating dog to death

A Rochester man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly beating a dog to death.

Peter P. Dancy III, 51, of Rochester, faces charges of torturing or mutilating an animal, failure to properly dispose of a dead animal, both Level 6 felonies, and cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor. The charges stem from an investigation by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office into an anonymous tip made Feb. 3. 

The tipster told police Dancy had bragged about beating to death a puppy, between 6 and 10 months old, and then leaving it outside in his backyard to decompose. They added that he had bragged about "punching it so hard it broke the jaw," with other gruesome details included on where to find the carcass. 

Fulton County Animal Control Officer Samantha Sorak followed up during the daytime and located a deceased young pit bull west of Dancy's residence at 6178 S. Birch Lane. She then contacted Det. Sgt. Derek Halterman, who applied for and was granted a search warrant to recover the carcass, along with any evidence that could be associated with animal cruelty. 

Halterman noted Dancy was not home upon execution of the search warrant, but his partner was. She claimed Dancy had told her that he strangled the dog to kill it because they do not own a firearm to do so more humanely. He allegedly did so because it had bitten a child and tried to bite another, although police found no visible signs of injury to either. 

After explaining that the dog appeared to have been beaten, she said she did not know anything about that. She additionally stated that she did not know it was still in the yard, as Dancy was reportedly supposed to have a friend come over to bury it. 

By appearance, the dog had not been there very long but was in a state of decomposition, Halterman noted. It still had a blue collar on and injuries to the face and jaw were observed. 

A necropsy was subsequently performed by a veterinarian with Purdue University, with results indicating numerous fractures of the jaw, skull and teeth of the dog due to significant trauma.

Dancy was taken into custody during a traffic stop Tuesday night at State Road 17 and County Road 650 North. Another occupant, Ronda K. Cudney, 40, 6358 N. Birch Lane, Rochester, also was taken into custody. She faces preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia. Both were held at the Fulton County Jail on a $2,500 surety or $500 cash bond. Dancy's initial hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday in Fulton Superior Court. 


Ronda K. Cudney