A puppy was brutally beaten in Luzerne County and police said when they arrived on the scene the alleged attacker threatened to kill them.

The man from Freeland is locked up and the puppy he is accused of beating is in an animal shelter.

The circumstances of the beating even bothered some experienced police officers.

  (Photo courtesy of WNEP)

Donald Corey, 51, of Freeland is facing a long list of charges. Arrest papers said the beating began on Washington Street near Corey's home.

Witnesses said he picked up the puppy and punched it in the head several times until it stopped moving.

Police then went into Corey's home looking for the animal.

"Officer Williams was able to coax her out and crawled out on her belly out to us so, so it wasn't a pleasant thing to see," said Freeland Police Chief Nadine Sist.

Arrest papers then state after Corey was taken into custody he told officers, "When I get out I am going to find you and kill you."

"You have to take things seriously in this line of work and it's not uncommon for people to threaten your life as a police officer. You have to learn to handle the situation and the best thing for the chief and I was to take him into custody and transport him to the prison," said Patrolman Matthew Williams.

The puppy looks good now but officials said when it first arrived at the Hazleton Animal Shelter it was covered in feces.

According to arrest papers, Corey is charged with terrorist threats, animal cruelty, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

A hearing is scheduled to be held at the Freeland Borough Building

Update 4/15/11: The woman who watched Donald H. Corey pummel a small boxer and confronted the man deserves credit for her courage, police said.

"She's the hero of the whole story," Freeland police Chief Nadine Sist said.

  (Photo courtesy of Eric Conover/Standardspeaker - The Hazleton Animal Shelter is taking care of a boxer at right, and a boxer mix after Freeland police removed them from their Corey's home)

Joyce Hrabovecky was driving in the area of Washington Street in Freeland around when she saw Corey, of 511 Washington St., run onto the road to retrieve a brown dog, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Corey picked up the dog - a small boxer between 3 and 5 months old - by its collar and punched it in the head several times, Hrabovecky said.

Then, according to the affidavit, Corey put the dog's head on the hood of a Ford Escape parked in the 500 block and punched the dog in the head several more times until it went limp. Hrabovecky said Corey "body-slammed" the dog on the car hood.

Horrified to see the dog go limp, she blew her horn and yelled for Corey to stop. Corey cursed at her, saying it was his dog and he'd do what he wanted with it as punishment for running away, Hrabovecky said. It was later learned that someone else owns the dog.

Eventually, Corey retreated back to his home with the dog in tow.

Hrabovecky, however, wouldn't leave. She pulled her vehicle over and called the police while Corey allegedly continued to yell at her from near his home.

"I couldn't believe it because I'm an animal lover and I can't stand animal abuse," she said.

Sist said Hrabovecky was intent on helping the dog and should be commended.   "She was determined to get him to stop beating the dog. She was persistent," Sist said.

The police chief said she is sure other people saw the incident unfold but simply ignored it.

Hrabovecky said adrenalin and fear for the dog made her stay.  "We have to stand up for the animals that can't stand up for themselves," she said.

When police officers arrived at the home, Sist said, they asked Corey, who appeared "heavily" intoxicated, why he hurt the dog. Corey told them the dog ran into traffic and when he got him inside, he hit him with a rolled-up newspaper, according to police.

Sist and Officer Matthew Williams said they found the dog and another small black dog hiding behind a couch in Corey's living room. The dog Corey allegedly beat came out but cowered to the floor, according to the affidavit. Sist said both animals did not act like typical puppies but rather showed signs of fear.

As police began to check the dogs for further signs of abuse, they said Corey became belligerent and threatened to kill Williams if he took his dogs. Police said Corey was told several times to calm down but he kept cursing and became violent and again threatened to kill Williams.

While in custody at the Freeland Police Department, Corey again threatened to kill Williams but also threatened to kill Sist and officers Scott Michalesko and Rob Maholik, police said. He also tried "charging" out of his chair several times and threatened to assault officers, according to the affidavit.

Corey was taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility and arraigned. He remained lodged on $3,000 bail.

He was charged with cruelty to animals, public drunkenness, four counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize and three counts of disorderly conduct.

Sist said the dogs were taken to the Hazleton Animal Shelter, where they were checked out by a veterinarian who also ensured they were up to date on shots. A shelter worker said the animals are owned by Thomas Gill of Freeland, who surrendered the animals. The dogs are available for adoption.

Update 4/21/11:  Corey will face one count of animal cruelty and one count of terroristic threats.

Three counts of disorderly conduct, three counts of terroristic threats and one count of public drunkenness against Corey were withdrawn in district court in Freeland.

His bail was also modified from $3,000 straight to $3,000 unsecured. However, Corey must obey by the conditions of bail set by District Judge Gerald Feissner; he is prohibited from contact with any animal and with the witness to the dog beating, and from living at 511 Washington St., as per the owner of the home, where he was living when the alleged animal abuse occurred.

Freeland Police Chief Nadine Sist said two dogs were surrendered and adopted into new homes from the Hazleton Animal Shelter.

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