New Hanover County man charged after dog beaten to death

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A 20-year-old man faces felony charges after a dog was beaten to death in Castle Hayne.

Rex Heppe is charged with felony cruelty to animals, breaking and entering, and 2nd-degree trespass.

According to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to 4409 Huntsman Drive on March 18 after receiving a report that someone was assaulting a dog in their backyard. Deputies arrived and discovered the dog had been beaten to death.

The dogs was sent for a necropsy in Raleigh.

An investigation led deputies to Heppe, who lived a couple of streets over. The sheriff’s office says Heppe was believed to be on drugs at the time of the incident.

He was released on a $50,000 bond.