West Valley City man repeatedly punched dog in the head, fracturing its skull, charges say

WARNING: This post contains material related to animal abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A West Valley City man is facing charges related to the torture of an animal after repeatedly punching a dog in the head and fracturing its skull, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

Anthony Michael Archuletta, 59, was charged in the Third District Court on Friday with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony, and threat of violence, a class-B misdemeanor.

On Aug. 16, police responded to residence on the 2300 East block of 6700 South regarding a complaint from the previous day. The individual who called stated that her dog, Rugar, had gotten out and attacked her roommate’s dog.

A third roommate, identified as Anthony Archuletta, had allegedly separated the two dogs, grabbed Rugar, slammed him on the ground, then “continuously hit Rugar in his head for approximately two to three minutes,” charging documents state.

After Archuletta stopped, he told Rugar’s owner that he had fractured Rugar’s skull, which would cause Rugar a “slow and painful death.” He allegedly also threatened to kill the roommate “just like [he] killed Rugar,” the documents state.

The following day, Archuletta’s roommate told police that Rugar was not acting normal, but declined to have Rugar checked by a veterinarian due to the financial strain and because Rugar was 13 years old.

The other roommate told police that she saw Archuletta beat Rugar for “several minutes” after the dogs were separated, while he allegedly repeated, “Die dog!” charging documents state.

Archuletta has previously been convicted of a felony eight times, including three violent felonies, in Third District Court cases.