FLINT – Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said a jury has found a 55-year-old Flint man guilty of
starving a dog to death and torture and cruelty toward other dogs he owned.
Anthony Dewayne Polite is convicted of of two counts of killing/torturing an animal, a 4-year felony, and one
count of cruelty to animals involving 4-10 animals, a 2-year felony.
According to testimony at trial, on December 17, 2018, Genesee County Animal Control Dispatch received a
call from a person who reported they observed a very thin dog in a fenced yard at a house on Jamieson Street, in the City of Flint. Animal Control officers responded to the scene and observed several large dogs which appeared to be emaciated and video surveillance cameras on the house. Animal Control then contacted the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and asked for backup support from a marked patrol unit.
When officers entered the property, they discovered six dogs all in various states of emaciation with no food
nor water available and only minimal straw for warmth on a day when the temperature was 34 degrees. The
ground was described as solid mud up over the feet of the dogs indicating the dogs had been chained up in the same area for some time, and no fecal matter in the area was observed.
One of the three female dogs was found dead with half its body laying inside a dog house and half outside. It
was determined from a necropsy by the County Veterinarian that this dog had recently given birth to eight
puppies. The current location of the puppies was not determined.
As officers attempted to arrest Polite at the scene for cruelty to animals, he aggressively resisted but was
eventually subdued and handcuffed. A seventh dog was then located in a cage inside the house.
Officers testified during trial that all the dogs showed emaciation with ribs, backridge and hip bones very
visible. One dog had a fully embedded collar in its neck leaving a huge open gash that went almost all the way around the bottom of its neck. Another dog had a collar that was in the early stages of becoming embedded.
Several dogs also had open sores on their bodies. The dog found inside the home had severe infection on its
ears from having them clipped by a lay person according to the county veterinarian. According to officers, Polite informed them that he has been breeding and selling dogs since he was a teen. He
also informed them that the carcass of a deer that was found on his property was being used to feed his dogs.
“This was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty that we have charged,” said Prosecutor David Leyton. “All
of us involved in this case found it to be heart-wrenching and unjustifiably inhumane and unimaginable. This case should send a strong message to our community that animal cruelty will not be tolerated, and we
will prosecute and hold accountable those who illegally harm and torture animals.”
