Arlington man arrested for allegedly throwing 2 dogs from apartment balcony

A reader writes:

Not sure if you saw this. Kid is a closeted Liberty U grad that was known around DC. Trump supporter too.  He threw his new puppy and roommate's dog off the balcony. A friend who went on a date with him says the roommate was "straight" but would go to gay bars with Zach. This makes me believe he too is gay and maybe it was a lover's quarrel? Sad. Zach's insta is still open and folks are letting him have it. His dad's Facebook was open for a little bit last night but then he smartly closed it.

Zach's roommate

ARLnow reports: A 26-year-old Arlington man has been arrested after police say he tossed two dogs to their death from his apartment balcony in Courthouse.

The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on April 27. Police received a call about the dogs being thrown off a fifth floor apartment balcony at the Meridian building at 1401 N. Taft Street. According to police dispatches at the time, someone — possibly the building manager — had rushed the dogs to a local vet before officers arrived

Police arrived on scene and arrested an apartment resident, who now faces animal cruelty charges.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ANIMAL COMPLAINT, 2020-04280069, 1400 block of N. Taft Street. At approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 27, police were dispatched to the report of an animal complaint. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect allegedly threw two dogs off the balcony of a residence. Prior to police arrival, the dogs were located and transported to area animal hospitals, where they succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased. Officers made contact with the suspect at his residence and took him into custody without incident. Zachary Hanson, 26, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Cruelty to Animals (x2). He was held on no bond.

A police spokeswoman tells ARLnow that one of the dogs was the suspect’s, while the other belonged to someone he knew.

“One belonged to the suspect, the other belonged to someone known to the suspect,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “To best protect the identity of the victim, we will not release additional information related to their relationship.”

“What preceded the incident is under investigation,” Savage added.

Court records show that Hanson has a preliminary hearing scheduled in Arlington General District on Aug. 28. The charges against him are both Class 6 felonies that generally call for 1-5 years in prison if convicted.

Hanson remains behind bars with no bond.  It is unclear whether he has an attorney to comment on his behalf. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for late August.

What a sick fuck.