Virginia Man Arrested After Fatally Dragging Dog Behind Car, Claims It Was 'Accidental' On 4/19/21 at 8:36 PM EDT A 22-year-old man charged with dragging a dog to death behind his vehicle has claimed it was "accidental." On Sunday, police in Bristol, Virginia arrested Dustin Tyler Edwards and charged him with a felony count of animal cruelty causing death or injury. Around 7:30 p.m., officers received multiple calls from people who allegedly saw the animal being dragged behind Edward's vehicle. People had unsuccessfully tried to alert Edwards, the Bristol Virginia Police Department (BVPD) said in a statement. BVPD officers finally spoke with Edwards after a person got him to stop his vehicle. However, the tether that the dog had been attached to had broken by this point. The officers found the animal in the middle of a road after re-tracing Edwards' route.