A man accused of burning a small dog to death during a burglary in a home on Savannah’s Southside last August has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Alexander Davis was found guilty of seven counts of burglary committed over a period of time and five years consecutive for aggravated animal cruelty. The case sparked international coverage after Davis placed a live family pet in an oven and turned it on during a burglary. Police said they and Chatham County Animal Control are still receiving phone calls from people who are concerned about the disposition of the case.
Officers had been called to a Phyllis Drive address on the report of a burglary and were told by the resident that she returned home to find the back door open and several items missing. She also noticed that the oven had been left on and the house had a distinctly bad odor. As officers checked the residence they found the burned body of the resident’s small dog in the oven.
Back-up officers received an anonymous tip with detailed information on a man seen in the area earlier in the day, along with a description of the car and its tag. After determining a possible residence of the suspect, officers set up surveillance on a house on Thorny Bush Road until the car matching the description pulled up to the house. Officers approached as a man and woman exited the car and detained them without incident. Items reported stolen from residence were located inside the car. Officers learned from the suspects that they had just left a pawn shop were other items had just been pawned. In addition to Davis, Evelyn Jeanette Williams was arrested and charged with theft by receiving stolen property.
• A Broughton Street pawn shop owner reported to police that a man and a woman were attempting to pawn stolen property.
Upon arrival, an officer was told that the suspects had fled from the store towards Yamacraw Village and that the woman was wearing a silk shirt. The woman was located, but when the officer approached her, she started yelling that she “didn’t do it, it wasn’t my idea, it was him” as she pointed west.
The woman then described the male suspect, who was stopped by police three blocks away. The man had in his possession a black book bag. The woman told police that the man had broken into several cars and was selling stolen car stereos and CDs and that he had some CDs in the black bag.
While the officer was talking to the woman, another man came up and asked her where the rest of his money was. The officer told the man to go on, the police would handle the situation. The woman was taken to headquarters and the officer questioned the male suspect, who said he had found the bag that morning in some bushes. The officer asked if he could look in the bag and was told he could. The officer looked in the bag and saw a car stereo and several CDs. He asked the man if he knew what was in the bag, and at first, the man said he didn’t but later said he did.
A second officer went to the pawn shop for the property the suspects had pawned, a $10,000 Gibson guitar, amplifier, black bag and more CDs. The owner of the property had walked into the pawn shop shortly after the suspects had pawned it, and when the owner of the pawn shop ran outside to confront them, they ran from the scene. The two were arrested and charged with theft by receiving the stolen property.
• An officer was dispatched to West Gwinnett Street after a woman reported that her car was hit by an unknown object while she was driving in the area of West Gwinnett and May streets. The woman said she saw seven to eight boys, all about 12 years old, throw the object at her car. The car sustained damage to the pain on the lower right side front door. The suspects were last seen running north toward Brewer Street, where they split up. The victim was given a case report number. ç
