The Irving Police Department reached out to the public through media reports regarding an investigation of animal cruelty that occurred on Sunday, Feb. 26 around 9:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of W. Irving Boulevard. The police were called the next day when a dead dog was found tied to a trash dumpster.
The dog, believed to be a three-year-old pit bull mix, was tied up to a trash dumpster, stabbed multiple times and left to die. The police shared with the public several videos from nearby security cameras showing a suspect walking the dog into the area by one camera and stabbing the dog by another camera.
After the reports aired on Thursday, detectives received multiple tips and identified the suspect as Joseph Ray Schell, 60 years of age. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Schell and took him into custody at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Friday. He is currently in the Irving City Jail on a charge of Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals (State Jail Felony). The SPCA was offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips on this case.
