Merced men accused of hacking dog with machetes seek medical help

A judge ordered Wednesday that staff members at a Merced County jail provide necessary medical attention to the two men accused of using machetes to hack a dog they had tied to a fire hydrant.

Myron L. Pattillo, 46, and Aaron W. Carney, 29, were scheduled to be arraigned in Merced Superior Court on charges of robbery and animal cruelty, but their arraignments were rescheduled because of a conflict of interest within the Public Defender’s Office.

Police said the men on Friday tied a 1-year-old Siberian husky to a fire hydrant at Austin Avenue and Conestoga Drive and hacked him with machetes, forcing authorities to euthanize the animal, whose name was Lucious.

Commissioner Jeanne E. Schechter rescheduled Pattillo’s hearing for 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Courtroom 3, and Carney’s for 8:30 a.m. Monday in Courtroom 3.

During their court appearance via a live video feed Wednesday, both men complained of health issues that they say were not being addressed properly by the staff at John Latorraca Correctional Facility, where they remain in custody.

Pattillo asked the judge to release him, saying he needed to make appointments he had previously set for eye and ear treatments. He is apparently hard of hearing and needed help from Carney to communicate with the judge.

“I am not a flight risk,” Pattillo told the judge. “I am a very stable individual.”

He said he has diabetic retinopathy, which refers to eye problems that people with diabetes may face. “I am trying not to lose my eyesight,” he said.

Carney requested treatment for asthma. Schechter said she would tell the jail’s staff to supply the proper treatment to each man.

She also said if Pattillo’s family could bring proof of his scheduled appointments, the judge at his arraignment hearing could take that information into account.

The judge set each man’s bail at $170,000, an increase from their initial bail amounts.

Pattillo and Carney were arrested several hours after the incident on suspicion of animal cruelty and robbery, the Merced Police Department said.

News of the violent death of the dog led to an outcry from the community. More than 50 people gathered Saturday at G Street and Olive Avenue to speak out against animal cruelty in general and the brutality of the attack on the dog.

A makeshift memorial of flowers, a photo of the dog, a heart-shaped balloon and other symbols have since been placed on the hydrant where the animal was attacked.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Merced men accused of hacking dog with machetes seek medical help."