Drunk Man Tries to Operate on His Dog: Chicago Cops
A drunk man's "dog operation" has led to an arrest and a charge of felony animal cruelty. Stewart Gibbs, 44, was arrested last weekend by Chicago police.
Gibbs is the director of cardiovascular services at DuPage Medical Group.
Police initially responded after a call from Gibbs' landlord. The landlord had received some complaints about a leaking ceiling. The landlord let himself in after a knock had no response, and reportedly Gibbs ran towards him, naked, and covered in blood, reports the Daily Mail.
The landlord then left and called the police. When the police arrived, they found blood on Gibbs and an open wound on Gibbs' dog, a Doberman. The dog had a large open wound on his ear, according to the Daily Mail.
When questioned about what had happened, Gibbs simply told them that he was trying to remove a cyst on the dog's ear when the police arrived. He had been using a butcher knife, and had turned on the tap water in the bathtub to clean up the dog, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Police said that he was "highly intoxicated" and that he told officers had had been drinking at Trump Tower earlier before coming back to his apartment, drinking another half a bottle of wine, and then starting to perform the "surgery" on his dog, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Luckily, the dog is now fine. He was conscious and even very pleasant toward officers, and was treated at the Chicago Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Care center, and has been turned over to Chicago Animal Care and Control, reports the Chicago Sun-times.
Gibbs' bond was set at $75,000. Most animal cruelty statutes are set to protect animals from certain brutal or violent treatment by humans. In this case, performing a "surgery" - while drunk - likely falls under the "brutal" or "violent" category.
A drunk man's dog operation is something that most animal cruelty statutes are probably meant to punish. Stewart Gibbs has given up custody of his dog, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Related Resources:
- $75,000 bond for 'very intoxicated' man accused of trying to operate on dog (Chicago Sun-Times)
- Woman Mails Puppy, Charged with Animal Cruelty (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Animal Rights (FindLaw's Law Brain)