Eastern NC dog trainer faces animal cruelty charges
AND THE HEAT WAVE HERE AT HOME.
RIGHT NOW HERE AT 7 O'CLOCK
DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST
A DOG TRAINER NOW FACING ANIMAL
CRUELTY CHARGES AFTER A SERIES
OF VIRAL VIDEOS.
>> DOCUMENTED THE ABUSE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
TONIGHT. I'M DAN HAGGERTY AND
I'M ASHLEY ROW. WHEN OUR COUNTY
DEPUTIES ARRESTED MATTHEW NEAL,
OWNER OF EAST CAROLINA
RETRIEVERS.
>> HE'S ACCUSED OF CHOKING
DOGS, BEATING THEM AND MISUSING
SHOCK COLLARS AS WRAL'S HAD
KIRK REPORTS THIS EVENING.
THE SHERIFF BROUGHT NEW DETAILS
TO LIGHT.
AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
THE LENOIR COUNTY SHERIFF.
>> SHARED YEARS OF ACCUSATIONS
TO DO WITH NEAL AND HIS
BUSINESS EAST CAROLINA
RETRIEVERS. THEY SAID IT WAS A
SERIES OF VIRAL VIDEOS THAT
BROUGHT THIS CASE TO THEIR
ATTENTION
>> THE VIDEO YOU ARE ABOUT TO
SEE IS NOT EASY TO WATCH.
WE MUTED THE AUDIO SO YOU WON'T
HEAR THE YELPING. LET OUT BY
A DOG BEING BEATEN.
>> I WAS APPALLED BY THE VIDEOS
THAT SHOW AND MISTER NAILS
CRIMES. LENOIR COUNTY SHERIFF
JACKIE ROGERS SAYS IT WAS
VIDEOS SHARED BY ONE OF MATTHEW
NEAL'S FORMER EMPLOYEES THAT
LED TO THE ARREST. WHAT ROLE
DID THOSE PLAYING THE THEY WERE
CRUCIAL TO THE ARREST AND OF
THE PEOPLE FOR 3 OR 4 HOURS
LAST NIGHT BEFORE WE HAD
PROBABLE CAUSE TO ESTABLISH
ENOUGH FOR THE REST. THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE TELLS US 11
DOGS WERE TAKEN FROM MEALS,
CUSTODY AND ARE NOW IN THE CARE
OF THE LENOIR COUNTY SPCA.
ACCORDING TO THESE WARRANTS.
NEAL, MISSED YOU SHOT CALLERS
CHOKE DOGS AND BEAT THEM ON
MULTIPLE OCCASIONS DATING BACK
TO 2020. LOTS OF TEARS WERE
SHED YESTERDAY. BREE ADAMS AND
HER HUSBAND SAY THEY PUT THEIR
LAB IN NEIL'S CARE LAST YEAR
FOR TRADING. BUT WHEN THEIR
PUPPY CAME HOME, THEY SAY IT
WAS A DIFFERENT DOG. SO SHE
WAS.
>> ALWAYS HAPPY CITED.
YOU KNOW, A TYPICAL AT THE
CHAMBER AND I WOULD GET BETTER
OUTSIDE SOMETHING THAT COULD
SHE GET DUCKETT.
>> SHE CAN'T CONFIRM HER DOG
WAS ABUSED, BUT IT LEAVES HER
WONDERING LENOIR COUNTY
SHERIFF'S SHARED A MESSAGE TO
THE PUBLIC. A REMINDER TO
REPORT ANIMAL ABUSE. I THINK
THERE WAS PROBABLY DOLLARS GOT
ABUSED, THAT THAT IF THEY WERE
REPORTED QUICKER THAN THAT,
THAT WE CAN DECIDE AND ALSO GET
ABUSED. WE REACHED OUT TO KNEEL
THIS EVENING AND HAVE NOT YET
HEARD BACK. NOW THE SHERIFF
TELLS US NEIL WAS INVESTIGATED
UNDER SIMILAR ACCUSATIONS ABOUT
8 MONTHS AGO, BUT THAT CASE WAS
DROPPED BY THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THEY TELL
US THAT THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME
THAT NEIL WAS ON THEIR RADAR,
HEIDI KIRK, WRAL, NEWS, LENOIR
COUNTY, THE LAMAR COUNTY
SHERIFF, BY THE WAY, TELLS US
NEAL POSTED A $47,000 BOND
TODAY AND IS AWAITING A COURT
DATE.
>> WE REACHED OUT TO KNEEL THIS