Roanoke Rapids man charged after dog dies from being chained up outside

A Roanoke Rapids man is charged with starving his pit bull to death after leaving it chained outside his home.

Neighbors and animal rights advocates say the dog’s death is a tragic reminder of just how crucial animal safety is during the summer.

“We really hope that this is a wake-up call to this community, and to other communities around the country,” said Rachel Bellis, manager of local affairs in PETA’s cruelty investigation department.

Last month, a field worker for PETA was doing welfare checks on dogs in Roanoke Rapids, looking to make sure they had water and shelter on a 95-degree day.

But at a trailer on Joy Drive, she came upon a chained-up pit bull collapsed in the dirt.

“That’s when she found Star, who had already died,” Bellis said. “Star was tangled around her concrete water bowl, which is very heavy, and also the pole, and so she had nowhere to go.”

A representative for PETA told WRAL News that the organization took their evidence to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.

After investigating, the sheriff’s office arrested 50-year-old Ernest Barber, charging him with felony killing an animal by starvation and two counts of mistreating an animal by keeping them tethered outside.

“That led up to the death of the dog, being left out in the sun with no food or water,” Halifax County detective Roger Jenkins said.

PETA has made Star’s death a focal point of a public service announcement across North Carolina and southern Virginia advising people of the dangers of leaving dogs chained.

Just two doors down from the house where Star died, Donell Brown is starting his first summer as a dog owner – and looking to avoid the same fatal mistake.

“I let my dog go outside, do what she gon’ do, run around, and then she’ll come scratch on the door and let me know when it’s time to come in,” Brown said. “She sits in the air conditioning just like I do.”

Brown told WRAL News that he wanted to send other dog owners a message: They wouldn’t want to be chained up in the heat this summer – and neither would their animals.

“Their heart beats just like ours,” Brown said. “So we’ve got to be careful to make sure they get the love we’re supposed to be giving one another.”

The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office said in a release that Barber posted bail and was set to appear in court on July 22.