A man recalled in court Tuesday seeing his dog's blood spattered across the walls of his house after the pup was allegedly attacked by a friend.

Jason Anthony recounted the Sept. 23 attack on his 12-year-old springer spaniel, Bailey, during a Butler County Common Pleas Court hearing for John Riordan, a 48-year-old West Virginia man accused of repeatedly hitting the dog with a sledgehammer at Anthony's Summit Township home.

The case against Riordan was refiled after prosecutors revived a previously dismissed felony charge in December. During an October preliminary hearing in Chicora, former Assistant District Attorney Russ Karl agreed to drop the felony charge to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and move the case to county court.

Karl's former boss, District Attorney Richard Goldinger, said he did not approve of the decision, and Goldinger refiled the initial charges.

But one of Riordan's lawyers, Michael Jewart, filed a motion to send the case back to the preliminary level, arguing that the case was bound over to the county court only after the felony charge was dropped. Because the felony charge was reinstated, Jewart wrote that the case should return to the preliminary level per due process.

Tuesday's hearing was the first in the new case.

Judge William Shaffer will reconsider the facts in the case and decide if the felony aggravated cruelty to animals should be held, dropped or reduced.

Recalling the incident

“There was blood everywhere, all up to the ceiling,” Anthony said Tuesday. “And I started to look around the rest of my house, and there was more blood throughout most of the home. There was blood and feces everywhere, obviously because Bailey was scared.”

During Tuesday's hearing Anthony noted that his dog died March 3 after recovering from the attack. He said veterinarians did not know what was wrong with his dog.

“I had to put him down because he wouldn't eat. He was a zombie,” Anthony testified. “After the attack, his personality absolutely changed. He wanted to be on my lap all the time.”

Riordan initially faced several charges, including felony aggravated animal cruelty, for the alleged attack.

Anthony notified authorities after he returned to his Green Manor Drive home and discovered the bloody mess. He told police that Riordan had been staying at his house and was the only one there with the dog for the “few hours” he was away.

On Tuesday, he said that he and Riordan were good friends before the incident and played together in a band.

He encountered Riordan soon after discovering his bludgeoned dog.

“I don't even think he knew he did it. He was just so blackout (drunk),” Anthony said.

Shaffer said further proceedings will be scheduled and involve potential witnesses.

Questions about Bailey

Assistant District Attorney Mark Lope questioned Anthony about the incident. Riordan's lawyer, Michael Zunder, also questioned him.

As Anthony testified that his house was painted red with Bailey's blood after the attack, Riordan's defense strategy came into focus.

Zunder began by asking if the dog had shown any signs in the past of being aggressive. Anthony said that his dog was peaceful aside from a minor incident with another dog. Zunder later said that people refused to visit Anthony because Bailey was “too aggressive” and he asked Anthony if the dog ever cornered Riordan's girlfriend.

Anthony said the dog had merely stolen a piece of food from the woman, startling her.

Zunder admitted that since the attack he has been following Anthony on Facebook, where he said he has observed photos of Bailey running around and being happy after the attack.

He told Anthony that he noticed on his Facebook page that he referred to Bailey as “killer.” Anthony denied that moniker was ever used.

During his questioning, Zunder also noted that Riordan had sustained some kind of leg injury during the incident.

Riordan's alleged attack left the dog with a badly swollen snout and jaw, missing and broken teeth and mental trauma, according to police.

When initially asked why he reduced the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor, Karl told the Eagle it was “because the dog is mending just fine, and that's good news.”

After Riordan's initial felony charge was dropped, Goldinger expressed his displeasure at the decision. At the time, Goldinger said the decision violated his policy of not reducing felonies at the preliminary level.

“That was done without my approval or consultation, and that's not acceptable. I'm unhappy with what happened,” Goldinger told the Eagle following the decision. “An egregious act was committed, allegedly, on this dog. We're going to seek justice.”

Soon afterward, Karl, who turned 60 in December, retired from the prosecutor's office. Goldinger declined to comment further on his departure.

The second hearing on the matter has not yet been scheduled.