Portland man accused of beating dog in video appears in court; dog's whereabouts unknown

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The man accused of hitting a dog – the incident was recorded on video – appeared in court on Monday.

Issac Justham, 25, pleaded not guilty to three charges: cruelty to animals, criminal damage and trespassing.

There are also several arrest warrants against Justam for theft and burglary dating back to 2023 and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle in 2019.

A judge set bail for all charges at $30,000.

The gruesome video, in which the suspect's face is clearly visible, attracted widespread attention. Portland police said calls from the public helped them find Justham and arrest him Saturday afternoon.

“Something wasn't right with him,” said Victor Pacheco, who lives in the apartment building where the fight took place on Aug. 2. Pacheco says he has seen Justham before, but he doesn't live in the building.

“As far as I know, he was living on the street and someone gave him a dog,” said Pacheco

Investigators said Justham claimed he had swallowed fentanyl after his arrest on Saturday.

He was taken to a local hospital and later released before being taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center.

According to investigators, Justham did not want to tell them where the dog was.

Nevertheless, the neighbors hope for a positive outcome.

“Some people just don’t deserve to have animals,” Pacheco said.

“Hopefully the dog will be taken care of and will definitely find a better owner.”

Justham is due to appear in court again on August 27.

Anyone with information on the dog's whereabouts is asked to contact Portland Police.