James Moses is allegedly seen on Ring security footage throwing a small dog toward the ceiling of an apartment complex (via Cobb County (Ga.) Animal Services). Inset top: James Moses (via Cobb County (Ga.) Adult Detention Center). Inset bottom: Smokey the dog (via YouTube screengrab/WAGA).
A 33-year-old man in Georgia was arrested this week after he was allegedly caught on security camera footage picking up and throwing his girlfriend’s dog into the hallway ceiling and wall of his apartment complex.
James Moses was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with one count of felony aggravated cruelty to animals over the incident, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Video of the horrific abuse was shared on multiple social media platforms and quickly went viral.
The footage shows a man wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts walking down the hallway and stopping directly in front of an apartment door equipped with a Ring doorbell camera. The man — identified by police as Moses — then bends down and grabs a small 4-year-old Jack Russell Terrier named “Smokey” (also spelled “Smokie”) by the back of his neck. In one fluid motion, the man gets up and launches the small animal up and to the left toward a ceiling light. The dog strikes the ceiling first before bouncing off of the wall and landing motionless on the floor. The man walks slowly towards the animal and out of the frame.
According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a concerned citizen who lives in the area viewed the video online and reached out to the Cobb County Animal Services Department about the graphic footage. After receiving the footage, CCAS investigators reportedly worked through the weekend to identify the man in the video.
“There is evil in the world and this proves it,” CCAS Director Stephen Hammond told the Journal-Constitution. “There’s no excuse for it. The dog wasn’t trying to bite him. The dog didn’t do anything wrong.”
Investigators on Monday were able to obtain a warrant for Moses’ arrest, a copy of which was obtained by the Journal-Constitution.
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“Said accused did throw the dog into the wall at a high rate of speed,” the warrant reportedly states. “The dog made a loud thud when it struck the ground.”
The incident allegedly took place at the Elevate West Village Apartments which are located in the 4500 block of Pine Street in Smyrna, Georgia, according to a report from Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA-TV. The report states that the dog’s owner — whose name has not been reported — told the station that she left Smokey with Moses, who was her boyfriend at the time.
“She’s devastated,” Hammond said of the dog’s owner. “She had no idea this had happened. The dog had been left in the care of the person, the gentleman who threw the dog.”
She and Smokey — who was evaluated by a local veterinarian and is not expected to have any permanent injuries — have since relocated to a new home to ensure their safety, Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported.
Moses was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday and released the same day after posting bond of $7,500.
If convicted, Moses faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The Cobb County Police Department did not immediately respond to messages from Law&Crime seeking additional details in the case.
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