Justin Reilly Belton, 44, figured four puppies, either removing legs or in one instance, a paw, authorities said. (Mugshot: Houston Police Department)
It appears that the animal abuse allegations against a man were so ghastly that multiple defense lawyers passed on representing the defendant, Justin Reilly Belton, 44.
John Donnelly, public affairs officer for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Texas, told Law&Crime that according to a prosecutor, two private attorneys on the on-call list declined to take the case on Tuesday due to the nature of the charges. The court had to reschedule the arraignment for Wednesday.
Court documents said that Belton brought six puppies to an animal hospital, and the vet found that four of the young canines were missing limbs and tails.
- Puppy A: a paw
- Puppy B: a leg
- Puppy C: a leg
- Puppy D: two legs
Authorities could not determine what Belton used, but the vet described these as clean cuts. The crime took place on or about Saturday, they said.
“[Belton] changed story multiple times attempting to explain what happened to the animals,” authorities said.
The vet said that one of the puppies had to be euthanized, documents stated. The others were critically injured.
According to investigators, one of Belton’s neighbors said the defendant had approximately 12 animals. The witness described cries being heard at 3 a.m. with Belton walking outside and swearing.
“Neighbor also alleged that [the defendant] has caused death to other animals,” police said. “LEO knows [Belton] to be a heavy meth user.”
Bail was set at $12,000 for four counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals
Records noted that a public defender, brought onto the case for the purpose of an initial court appearance, asked for just a $3,000 bail. Prosecutors demanded that Belton be locked up on a $50,000 bail.
Belton previously faced a 2012 case for stalking and a 2016 case for harassment, which was later dismissed.
In the stalking case, he constantly called, texted, emailed, and even followed his ex-girlfriend after she broke up with him and told him to leave her alone.
A witness described the defendant even showing up at the victim’s apartment building with flowers for her and a friend of the ex-girlfriend described Belton following them in a car on Feb. 17, 2012.
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In one email to the woman, Belton asked if he hallucinated seeing her with another guy last night.
“I would appreciate a yes more than being ignored,” he wrote in documents. He said she was really hurting him.
In another message, he told her that God wanted them to be together, according to investigators. He acknowledged that sounded crazy but told her to stop thinking that he was crazy.
“I am just lonely for you,” he said, according to documents. “Tell me if there is or was another guy. That will make it much easier on me. I will not be mad.”
“Ignore me today and it will haunt you,” he wrote in a March 3, 2012 email. “I know how jealous you are.”
Cops said he continued to email the ex even after a sergeant warned him to stop reaching out or it would be considered harassment and stalking.
The case concluded with deferred adjudication in 2016.
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In the harassment charge, Belton’s former employee told authorities he had kept sending her annoying emails, and she said he followed her home and parked behind her.
“Complainant advised the affiant that she did not know defendant’s intent and did not exit until police arrived,” documents stated. “Baytown police arrived and spoke with both parties. Both parties agreed to stop all communication with each other.”
Several hours later, however, cops called her to say that Belton accused her of stealing money from his business but was unable to produce evidence or witnesses, and declined to pursue charges. Cops repeated their advisement for both sides to stop communicating.
That case was dismissed in 2016.
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