Man charged with setting woman's dog on fire

A Red Springs man was charged Monday with setting a woman's dog on fire, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

Posted 4:03 p.m. Jun 15, 2015 — Updated 11:01 p.m. Mar 18, 2016

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — EDITOR'S NOTE: James Franklin Quick pleaded guilty to two felonies: burning personal property and cruelty to animals on Jan. 12, 2016, and was sentenced to three months in jail.

A Red Springs man was charged Monday with setting a woman's dog on fire, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said James Franklin Quick, 23, dated the dog's owner and, since the two broke up, had sent her threatening messages.

Quick was already in custody Sunday night, arrested on charges of outstanding warrants for possession of firearm by a felon and discharging a weapon within city limits, when the report came in about the burned dog.

Investigators said Quick poured an accelerant on the dog before setting it ablaze.

Dominique Clark told deputies that she let her dog, Cocoa, out to run around the yard, and a short time later, heard the dog scratching and crying at her door. When her son opened the door to let Cocoa inside, he saw the dog was on fire, and Clark used some of her clothing to smother the flames.

"I have leaves in my backyard and I kind of heard her when she rushed into the leaves trying to put herself out," Clark said. "And she was screaming and hollering."

Clark told WRAL News that she and Quick never dated.

Animal Control officers took Cocoa, a Chihuahua mix, to a veterinary clinic on Sycamore Dairy Drive, where she was treated for burns to the body and face.

"She's in good spirits," said Dr. Sarah Morgan, a veterinarian at Cape Fear Animal Hospital who treated Cocoa. "She's resting comfortably. She's had some pain medication. We're rehydrating her right now. She's got some antibiotics on board for secondary infection. And she's already stolen the hearts of everyone here."

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