A Jackson County man accused of killing his cousin’s dog after a dispute in mid-May was arrested early Memorial Day after a brief standoff, police report.
Amuel Adam Hall, 37, of Norman is facing Level 6 felony charges of killing a domestic animal and torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal and three Level 5 felony charges of intimidation in connection with the incidents involving the death of the dog and the standoff.
According to the probable cause affidavit signed by Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Officer Billy Dishman on May 19, Hall was hanging out at his cousin’s house when an argument broke out between the two. The dispute turned physical, and they began to hit each other, police said.
After the fight, Hall’s cousin told police he asked Hall to leave his home.
Hall then went to a neighbor’s home, returned to his cousin’s house and killed his dog with a knife, according to court records. He then left the area, returning to his home in Norman.
When police arrived, they said they found the dog unmoving on the lawn. After hearing the story from Hall’s cousin, police said they went to Hall’s home to question him about the incident.
According to police, Hall confirmed the fight, stating it was over an argument about a trailer owned by another family member being returned with ripped brake light wiring. He told police he went home afterwards.
Then Hall asked police if his cousin had told them about what happened with the dog, which police said they had not mentioned at that point in the interview.
Police said Hall then proceeded to change his timeline of events, saying he had not been to his cousin’s house for three or four days and that their altercation was then, not May 15.
Police also said they observed dried blood on the arm of Hall, who claimed it was probably from a scab. Police said they observed no wounds on the arm.
Hall also told police his cousin’s dog had attacked a neighbor’s dog earlier that evening and said the blood may have been from that incident, according to court documents.
Hall’s cousin later contacted investigators, telling them he had spoken with his neighbor.
He said the neighbor said Hall told him he planned to kill the dog to send a message to his cousin after their fight. The neighbor did not provide a statement to police.
When police went to arrest Hall on Monday morning at his home in the 8800 block of West Second Street in Norman, he barricaded himself in the home, threatening to shoot at police if they entered.
Dishman and county Officer Aaron Wilkins along with Brownstown Police Department Officer John Amis entered the home and arrested Hall without incident at 2:03 a.m. Monday. He was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, where he is being held without bond.
A Level 5 felony carries a sentence of one to six years in prison upon conviction with an advisory sentence of three years, while a Level 6 felony carries a sentence of six months to two and a half years with an advisory sentence of one year upon conviction.