Police in San Francisco on Monday arrested a man they suspected of killing a dog, the department said.  

Just after 11 a.m., officers arrived at the 400 block of China Basin Street after receiving a report that a man was assaulting a dog. Once there they found a suspect matching the description of the man and he was allegedly found with a dead dog.  

Police spoke to witnesses and arrested Charles Wentworth, 46, on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.  

Animal Care and Control arrived at the scene and took custody of the deceased dog and is conducting an independent investigation, according to police. 

“Violence and cruelty towards animals are unacceptable,” said San Francisco Police Department Acting Commander Chris Del Gandio. “This is an extremely disturbing incident that was witnessed by our community and our officers acted swiftly to locate the suspect and place him under arrest.” 

Although an arrest has been made, this remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.