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Man ‘cooked his Chihuahua puppy to death in oven because it wouldn’t stop barking’

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James Williamson (left) is accused of killing his Chihuahua puppy in an oven inside an Alabama home because he was upset over its excessive barking (Pictures: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office/WALA)

A man allegedly stuffed his Chihuahua puppy in an oven and cooked it to death because it was barking too much.

James Williamson, 44, got into an argument with a family member and threatened to put the small dog in a hot oven if it did not quiet down, according to Sergeant Darrell McMann of the Atmore Police Department.

Williamson is accused of putting the pup in the oven, turning it on and placing a chair in front of the appliance to secure the door.

Neighbors reported hearing yelps coming from inside the home on Cruitt Drive in Atmore, Alabama, on May 19 and called cops.

Please embed video if using grabs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiqEf_xV4RA Pictured: Sergeant Darrell McMann of the Atmore Police Department. A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly killing a chihuahua puppy by cooking it in a hot oven. The incident occurred on Monday, May 19, in Atmore, Ala., where 44-year-old James Williamson resides. Williamson allegedly threatened to shove the dog into the oven and turn it on because it was barking too much. Police told WALA that after arguing with a family member, the man allegedly put the puppy in the oven, turned the oven on and then placed a chair against the door to prevent the dog from escaping. Sergeant Darrell McMann of the Atmore Police Department told WALA that neighbors reported hearing yelps coming from inside the home before deputies arrived on the scene. McMann said that when he arrived, he found the deceased dog in the driveway with severe burns on its body. McMann told WALA that he needed a moment to collect himself at the scene. "When I got there, I was just at a loss for words, you know. I really just stood there and looked at the dog for a little bit and had to get myself together," he said, adding that he has a chihuahua himself. — Neighbors called police reporting that they heard yelps coming from inside an Alabama home (Picture: WALA)

McMann said he arrived to find a dead Chihuahua on the driveway with serious burn marks.

‘I have a Chihuahua myself,’ McMann told WALA.

‘When I got there, I was just at a loss for words, you know, I really was just stood there and looked at the dog for a little bit and had to get myself together.’

Please embed video if using grabs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiqEf_xV4RA A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly killing a chihuahua puppy by cooking it in a hot oven. The incident occurred on Monday, May 19, in Atmore, Ala., where 44-year-old James Williamson resides. Williamson allegedly threatened to shove the dog into the oven and turn it on because it was barking too much. Police told WALA that after arguing with a family member, the man allegedly put the puppy in the oven, turned the oven on and then placed a chair against the door to prevent the dog from escaping. Sergeant Darrell McMann of the Atmore Police Department told WALA that neighbors reported hearing yelps coming from inside the home before deputies arrived on the scene. McMann said that when he arrived, he found the deceased dog in the driveway with severe burns on its body. McMann told WALA that he needed a moment to collect himself at the scene. "When I got there, I was just at a loss for words, you know. I really just stood there and looked at the dog for a little bit and had to get myself together," he said, adding that he has a chihuahua himself. — An Atmore Police Department sergeant who responded to the scene took a moment to collect himself after finding the dead puppy (Picture: WALA)

Williamson has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty. It is a Class C felony, which is the second lowest level of felony in the state. His bond has been set at $15,000, and he will not be allowed to own animals if he is convicted.

McMann said tougher laws should be in place for crimes as horrific as this.

‘I think in cases like this, they should be strengthened, because I don’t think being a Class C felony fits what he did,’ McMann said.

Pictured: Suspect James Williamson. A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly killing a chihuahua puppy by cooking it in a hot oven. The incident occurred on Monday, May 19, in Atmore, Ala., where 44-year-old James Williamson resides. Williamson allegedly threatened to shove the dog into the oven and turn it on because it was barking too much. Police told WALA that after arguing with a family member, the man allegedly put the puppy in the oven, turned the oven on and then placed a chair against the door to prevent the dog from escaping. Sergeant Darrell McMann of the Atmore Police Department told WALA that neighbors reported hearing yelps coming from inside the home before deputies arrived on the scene. McMann said that when he arrived, he found the deceased dog in the driveway with severe burns on its body. McMann told WALA that he needed a moment to collect himself at the scene. "When I got there, I was just at a loss for words, you know. I really just stood there and looked at the dog for a little bit and had to get myself together," he said, adding that he has a chihuahua himself. — James Williamson has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty (Picture: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office)

‘That pretty much describes what he did: horrible and inhumane.’

Atmore is about 50 miles northeast of the port city of Mobile on the Gulf Coast.

The dog was killed more than seven years after a South Korean farmer allegedly became annoyed that his neighbor’s dog was constantly barking, and killed and cooked the pup and invited its owner over for dinner to eat it.