An Arizona man who police say dragged his dog on a chain behind his truck while drunken driving, killing the dog, is “deeply, deeply sorry” for the “tragic accident,” his public defender said Friday in La Plata County Court.
Nathan Begay, a 41-year-old electrician who works in Durango, appeared shackled in an orange jumpsuit, sniffling and wiping his face with a tissue.
His public defender, Annie Woods, consoled and advised her client with a whisper and hand on his shoulder.
Woods said the pit bull mix, named Sergeant, belonged to Begay.
“He called him his best friend,” she said.
Witnesses told law enforcement Tuesday they saw a dark-colored pickup dragging a chain with a dead dog on the end about 9:30 p.m. on north Main Avenue in Durango, according to an arrest affidavit.
At least one person took pictures as Begay exited the vehicle – so intoxicated that he could barely stand, unchained the dog and left its corpse in the middle of the street, law enforcement said.
Police broadcast a description of the vehicle and the man to area law enforcement. A La Plata County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped a truck and a driver matching the description in the 100 block of East Animas Road (County Road 250), about 1½ miles east of where the dog was found, according to the arrest affidavit.
Begay was arrested on suspicion of aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 6 felony, and misdemeanor driving under the influence. He told law enforcement he “drank 12” and that it wasn’t safe for him to be driving. Begay was driving on a revoked license out of Arizona and had empty beer cans in the bed of his truck.
Woods said that although the details of arresting documents “brings a visceral reaction to most,” her client cared about the dog and chained him to the bed of his pickup to keep Sergeant from jumping out of the truck.
A witness who got Begay to pull over told law enforcement that when he told Begay about the dog, Begay said, “I know,” according to arresting documents. Woods said that if her client said anything to the witness, it was more to the effect of, “I didn’t know.”
Begay tried to pick up the dog’s body and put it in the bed of the truck, but people started yelling and he was in shock, so he left, Woods said. The dog had injuries to its paws and face, arresting documents show.
Judge Dondi Osborne set Begay’s bail at $5,000. His next scheduled court appearance is Aug. 23.
bhauff@durangoherald.com