Rising Sun Couple Facing Animal Cruelty Charge

The charge comes after their dog was allegedly found with neck injuries from a prong collar.

Lana Chandler and Adam Conrad. Photos by the Dearborn County Sheriff's Office. 

(Rising Sun, Ind.) - A Rising Sun couple has been charged with animal cruelty. 

Rising Sun Police were dispatched to the Burgess Avenue home of Adam Conrad and Lana Chandler on December 19 for an issue regarding an animal. 

Nobody was home when officers arrived, but officers say they observed a white, grey, and black Shepard mix in the backyard. The dog was secured by a stake, chain, and training collar known as a "pincher or prong collar." 

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers reported the pincher collar was extremely tight around the dog's neck, and there was a padlock securing the chain to the collar. Officers also reported visible open wounds on the dog's neck, as the pincher collar prongs were allegedly facing inward and embedded into the dog's neck. 

The Ohio County Circuit Court would issue a search warrant, allowing the dog to be seized from the home and taken to the Ohio County Animal Shelter to be treated by Dr. Rachel Low. 

Dr. Low told police that the "prong collar" is for training purposes and should only be worn for the duration of a training session. According to Dr. Low, the dog had to be sedated and placed under anesthesia as each prong (approximately 1" long) had to be removed one at a time because they were embedded in the skin. Furthermore, Dr. Low stated that there was scarring between the wounds that indicated the collar had been worn for a long period of time. 

As part of the investigation, a search warrant was issued by the Ohio County Circuit Court for the seizure and search of both Chandler and Conrad's cellular phones. At the time of the seizure of Chandler's phone, Conrad was not present. According to the probable cause affidavit, Chandler's phone contained a text conversation with Conrad regarding the dog's condition. However, the same conversation could not be found on Conrad's phone, leading investigators to believe he deleted the conversations intentionally after he was made aware that his phone was subject to seizer. 

Conrad and Chandler are charged with Cruelty to an Animal (Torture), a Level 6 Felony. Conrad is also facing a charge of Obstruction of Justice (Level 6 Felony). 

Both made their initial appearance in Ohio Circuit Court last week.