Animal Shelter's Surveillance Camera Captures a 'Sad Incident' That Got a School Employee Arrested

The surveillance cameras at the Harrison County Humane Society in Marshall, Texas, captured an act so wrong, the shelter's director was determined to find out who did it.

"I'm going to find you. I'm going to find out who did that," Kay Hill with the Pet Place told KSLA-TV. "Because it's just not acceptable to do that to a baby puppy."

The surveillance video taken Saturday showed a man drop a litter of puppies one by one over the fence into the shelter's yard.

Image source: Kay Hill/Facebook

Image source: Kay Hill/Facebook

Image source: Kay Hill/Facebook

"Luckily, he didn't break their legs, or [give them a] concussion [or] break a neck," Hill told the news station of the four puppies that were not seriously injured.

Posting the surveillance video on Facebook Monday morning, Hill noted that the truck had a Marshall Independent School District logo on it. The local police station also shared the video on its Facebook page.

Within a few hours, the suspect was identified as 61-year-old Paul Smith, an employee within the school district.

While the case was being investigated Smith voluntarily went to the department to speak with investigators, the police department's news release stated. There he was arrested on animal cruelty charges and booked at the Harrison County Jail.

"The Marshall Police Department, along with the Marshall Animal Shelter, feels strongly that any animal should be treated humanely," Marshall Police Chief Jesus "Eddie" Campa said in a statement. "I would like to thank the citizen’s who contacted the police department with this information, helping to close this case quickly."

Hill told the Marshall News Messenger that many people called the shelter to say that Smith was a nice man.

"Yes, that's fine, but that wasn't my view on it," she said told the newspaper. "It would've been nicer if he left them in the box at our front door. It was a very large box, so they probably wouldn't have gotten out of the box, if he would've just left them in the box."

The school district placed Smith on administrative leave, according to KSLA.

"As an MISD Board member we are aware of this sad incident," MISD board member Cathy Marshall told the news station. "Our administration is currently dealing with this in an appropriate manner. I also serve on the Board at the Humane Society and I too am appalled and saddened as any caring person would be. My other MISD board members are too. I can assure that it will be handled."

Hill told KSLA the puppies are being fostered by an employee of Marshall High School.