By John Dobberstein, Editor

A Wagoner resident was arrested on animal cruelty charges after dragging his ex-girlfriend’s dog behind his truck following an argument, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office said.

Tyler A. Wayman, of Wagoner, turned himself in to the Wagoner County Detention Center on Tuesday and was released on $10,000 bail on a charge of animal cruelty.

At the end of June, officials received information that a person wanted to report an incident of animal cruelty and an interview took place.

The person stated that on March 2, she went to a lake in the Toppers area with her ex-boyfriend, Wayman, and took her dog with her. While they were at the lake, an argument broke out between the two and Wayman became angry, the person told officers.

After becoming angry, Wayman allegedly grabbed the dog by its leash and tied it to the back of a truck. He then got back in the truck and drove away, dragging the dog behind him.

The reporting person forced the truck into park, stopped the vehicle, and the woman got out and checked on the dog’s condition. While she was doing so, officials said, Wayman drove off — dragging the dog with him again.

The wayman then let the woman and her dog get back into the vehicle to take them home. Officials said the woman took the dog to a veterinarian immediately after the incident to have the animal’s injuries treated.

When asked why the incident was not reported earlier, the dog owner was “fearful of retaliation due to threats if the incident was reported,” officials said.

A Wagoner County investigator went to the scene and took photographs and surveyed the area. It was determined that the dog had been dragged a considerable distance before being untied and placed back into the vehicle.

Based on this information, an arrest warrant affidavit was filed with the Wagoner County District Attorney’s Office accusing Wayman of animal cruelty.