A Boston man was arrested and charged in connection with three dogs found dead inside a U-Haul in Mattapan on Tuesday, the Boston Police Department said on Friday.
Police arrested William Cobb, 33, of Boston, in the area of 148 Mediterranean Drive, in Weymouth, the department said in a statement. Cobb was charged with three counts of animal cruelty.
Cobb is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.
Police were notified of an abandoned U-Haul van with a “terrible smell” at 69 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan at 8:58 p.m. Tuesday, according to a police report. Arriving officers found the van parked and unlocked with a “horrible smell” coming from it, with bugs flying around inside it.
An officer saw a wire dog crate inside with one dog inside that was not moving. A bag of dog food was also found in the front seat.
The person told police they did not know who parked the U-Haul there but that it had been on Edgewater Drive for over a week, according to the report. The man told police everyone who walked by the van said something “really smelled.” Police found a 5-gallon water jug, three one-gallon water jugs, a gray tray and a bottle of bleach on the sidewalk in front of the van. Officers searched the van for paperwork but did not find any.
An animal control officer arrived at the scene and found three dead dogs inside that were “bloated,” according to the report, which also notes the city is in the middle of a sweltering stretch of hot weather. The officer removed the three medium-sized dogs — two females and a male ― from the van.
