Utah man accused of throwing 6 puppies out of car on highway, killing 2 of them

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) — A Utah man was arrested after he allegedly threw six puppies out of a car window while driving on U.S. Highway 89. Two of the puppies died, and the mother was abandoned.

Memphis Lor, 25, was arrested on seven counts of torturing a companion animal, a third-degree felony. He has not been formally charged.

Davis County Sheriff's Office says on Oct. 22, Lor was driving on US-89 between the cities of Fruit Heights and Layton. While traveling at highway speeds, he reportedly intentionally threw six 3-week-old puppies out of his window.

Two of the puppies were killed, another puppy was seriously injured, and two were not injured during the incident. One puppy has not been located by law enforcement.

Lor also allegedly left the mother of the puppies on the side of the road. She was found severely malnourished, according to the sheriff's office.

Witnesses said they saw puppies scattered across the road and assumed they'd been thrown. Witnesses helped law enforcement locate the mother of the puppies as well, according to the arrest statement.

The Davis County Sheriff's Office and local animal care officers worked to locate and identify Lor. A neighbor of Lor was able to identify the mother of the puppies, which helped indicate to officers that he owned the dog.

Lor was detained and interviewed by officials, who say he admitted to driving around 65 miles per hour on the freeway and dropping the puppies out the window. Lor said he kept one with him. When asked about the mother dog, documents say Lor denied that she was unwell.

During the interview, Lor further admitted that he was dropping the puppies out the window because he thought "it would be easier to get rid of them," according to the arrest statement, and that it would be "an easier death." Lor reportedly told law enforcement that the mother had more puppies, but three had died from the cold.

"The mother and the surviving puppies are receiving medical care and are doing well," the Davis County Sheriff's Office said.

Lor was arrested and booked into the Davis County Jail, but has since been released with conditions that he will appear in court and not commit any further crimes.

The sheriff's office is also asking the public to contact the Davis County Dispatch Center at (801) 451-4150 if anyone located a puppy on US-89 near Oakhills around Oct. 22.