Virginia Beach: Man Arrested For Tying Up Helpless Dog And Burning It To Death [Video]

A Virginia Beach man is facing an animal cruelty charge after he allegedly burned a dog to death in May. WTKR reports that Arthur Marques Vieira was arrested in connection with a fire that was purposely set to cruelly dispose of a helpless animal. The arrest followed a month-long joint investigation by Virginia Beach Animal Enforcement Unit and the Virginia Beach Fire Department.

On May 29, local firefighters responded to reports of a bush fire. Upon discovering the remains of a dog, Animal Control officials were notified. The animal was identified as “an adult medium-sized female” dog that was “gray and white in color.” Although no official breed was determined, investigators believe that the deceased animal was a “pit-type breed.” Authorities observed that the dog’s front and rear legs were bound together, making it impossible to escape the fire. Even worse, an investigation determined that the helpless animal was alive when the fire started.

Animal control officer Meghan Conti was deeply disturbed at the revelation that the dog was purposely burned alive.

“I can’t even begin to comprehend why somebody would do something like this,” she said. “I don’t think any of us can. The front legs and the rear legs had been bound together, and the dog had been intentionally set on fire.”

“It’s one of the worst cases that I’ve seen in my career in over ten years. If a person’s capable of taking a living, breathing animal and torturing it in this manner, what else are they capable of doing?”

Virginia Beach law enforcement turned to the public for help to find the person responsible. At one point, a $20,000 reward was offered for relevant information.

After weeks of vigorous investigation, Virginia Beach officials have a suspect. Viera, who was taken into custody earlier this week, was hit with one count felony Animal Cruelty and two misdemeanor charges, including Obstructing Justice. Police told NewsChannel 3 that the suspect is being held without bond at the Virginia Beach Correction Center. Despite the arrest, authorities have stated that the investigation “is ongoing.” It’s also possible that the suspect might face additional charges.

Dog bound and burned alive in Virginia Beach June 25, 2015 4:34 PM MST The female pit bull mix one and a half… http://t.co/fH0cJVj4wi

— Eva (@savechihuahuas) June 26, 2015

Unfortunately, this incident where a dog was burned alive is not rare. It’s all too common for dogs and cats to be the victim of sadistic individuals. The Inquisitr published an article a few weeks ago about a dog that was burned to death with a blowtorch by a woman named Adrienne Martin. She uploaded a video of the sadistic act to YouTube.

[Image Credit: Virginia Beach Police]