From the Henry County Sheriff’s Office:
On Friday, May 16th, 2025, 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.
The suspect was identified as 26-year-old Luis Antonio Bacerra-Eames. He was transported to SOVAH Health Martinsville for treatment of minor injuries and was subsequently released. He has been charged with the following offenses and is currently being held in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond:
- Animal Cruelty (felony), 2 counts
- Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (felony), 2 counts
- Resisting Arrest (misdemeanor)
The two dogs, which are a pit bull mixed breed, will be taken to a veterinarian for evaluation and will be housed at the Henry County Animal Shelter.
Anyone having information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
