A man was arrested on charges of animal cruelty in Henry County on Friday. Deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Division received a complaint about animal cruelty at 131 Kimway Drive, Axton, Virginia. 

Upon investigating, they discovered that the resident at this address had been beating his two dogs with a baseball bat, punching them, and striking one of the dogs with a large rock. 

Deputies went to the residence to check on the well-being of the dogs. While they were assessing the situation, the owner came outside. After a brief conversation, the deputies informed him that he was under arrest. 

The suspect attempted to flee and resisted arrest, leading to an altercation between him and the deputies. During this struggle, the suspect bit one of the deputies twice and struck another deputy multiple times with his elbow before being taken into custody.

26-year-old Luis Antonio Bacerra-Eames has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He was taken to Sovah Health for treatment of minor injuries and is now in the Henry County adult detention center under no bond.

The two dogs were taken to a veterinarian for evaluation and will be housed at the Henry County Animal Shelter.