ROBERT and NICKIE BELL left their dog to die in a dumpster but will not be going to jail
- voiceforus
- Nov 19, 2021
- 5 min read
- Colorado, USA -
An innocent and helpless dog was thrown in a dumpster and left to die but the monsters responsible for this vile crime will not be going to jail.
The incident happened in July 2021, in Westminster.
On the early morning of July 27, Mr. Scott Miller, a construction worker, happened to toss something in a dumpster when he spotted a pup sitting on a blanket on a pile of trash.
Mr. Miller said he rescued the furbaby just in time. In fact, the garbage truck came by soon after he rescued the pooch and he thinks if he hadn’t pulled him out, the pup would have been crushed.
Mr. Miller told FOX 31 Colorado: “That dog, there was no way that there was a misunderstanding that the dog was alive or dead. He was clearly well off. Sweet, sweet dog.”
He added that the furbaby had trouble walking on his hind legs.
Our hero contacted Westminster Police and an Animal Management officer scanned the pup for a microchip.
The dog is an 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Brutus.
It turned out that Brutus’ guardians were ROBERT and DR. NICKIE BELL (pictured below) who live in Aurora.
NICKIE BELL is Assistant Superintendent of Educational Operations at Cherry Creek Schools on 4700 South Yosemite Street in Greenwood Village.
The AM officer immediately called NICKIE BELL on the phone:
· NICKIE BELL: He was throwing up, hair was falling out, he wasn’t breathing, he wasn’t walking. We wrapped him in his favorite blanket and we put him to rest.
· OFFICER: Where did you put him to rest at?
· NICKIE BELL: What do you mean?
· OFFICER: Where did you put the dog to rest at?
· NICKIE BELL: In a dumpster.
· OFFICER: When did you do that?
· NICKIE BELL: Last night.
· OFFICER: So your dog is very much alive.
· NICKIE BELL: What?
The BELLS then went to Westminster City Hall thinking they were going to get the dog back and the officer’s body cam recorded her conversation with the couple:
· OFFICER: So what happened that led you up to wrapping him in the blanket?
· ROBERT BELL: Oh, ah, the chunks of hair loss, he was leaking.
The officer proceeded to ask the couple: “So he was still alive when you put him in the dumpster?”
To which ROBERT BELL responded: “I didn’t take a pulse no, none of that. No, he wasn’t moving.”
The dumpster in which the furbaby was tossed, is 32 miles away from where the BELLS lived at the time of the incident, which is why the AM officer asked: “You said, ‘Let’s drive to Westminster and put him in a dumpster’?”
ROBERT BELL responded: “I was driving around, we were bumming.”
FOX 31 Colorado reports that the AM officer wrote in her report: “I asked both parties several questions but I am still not sure what happened or why. In speaking with Robert and Nichole, they both appeared without emotion either to have lost a beloved pet or to find out their pet is alive and doing well.”
On July 27, the BELLS were summonsed on three city violations: abandoning animals, neglect of animals, and cruelty to animals.
In October, a Westminster city prosecutor agreed to let the couple plead guilty to neglect of animals and dismissed the other two counts.
In exchange, the couple agreed to make a $5,000 contribution to the Rocky Mountain Yorkie Rescue Group, pay $1,085 in restitution to the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, which cared for the furbaby until he was adopted out, and $280 in court costs and fines.
In a statement emailed to FOX 31, NICKIE BELL wrote:
“I am exceedingly sorry for the events of July 26, 2021. During that time period, our family dog had been very ill and we had sought medical treatment for him. We were also going through a personal crisis with a gravely ill family member. In short, my family was under an extreme amount of stress at this time. When I arrived home on the evening of July 26, my husband told me that our dog had passed away. I was devastated and grief-stricken. My husband wrapped the dog in a blanket and disposed of him in a dumpster. We believed the dog had passed. We were told the next day that he had been found alive. I sincerely regret this situation and the judgment I exhibited during these stressful events. I ask for the community’s forgiveness.”
Cherry Creek School District Superintendent Christopher Smith also emailed FOX31 a statement which read:
“I struggle with this immensely difficult situation. By all accounts and in my personal experience, Dr. Bell has demonstrated strong judgment and character as an educator and a leader in this district. While her actions in this matter are not related to her job in any way, they are very concerning. Dr. Bell is on personal leave at this time. We will continue having conversations internally about this situation.”
Brutus has a new mom who does not wish to be identified. She said: “He’s a teddy bear. That’s why we named him Teddy. It fits him. He’s just the sweetest dog. What could he have done to make someone want to throw him away and ensure his death?”
Teddy’s new mom told the Problem Solvers the city prosecutor should have handed over the case to the district attorney in Jefferson County, where the BELLS could have faced more serious charges, including felony animal abuse. I totally agree with her!
Teddy’s mom added: “These animals can’t argue for themselves. He (Teddy) can’t tell us how awful it was and how much he was hurting. You know if we hurt another human like this, we would go to prison. He just can’t speak for himself.”
According to FOX 31 Colorado, the Problem Solvers met Teddy on November 1, five days after he underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) in both of his hind legs.
It’s not known what caused Teddy those injuries but his new mom expressed her suspicions: “I mean, I’m guessing somebody snatched him by his back legs and threw him in the dumpster. That would have done it. How else would he have sustained both knees simultaneously, same age of injury?”
As reported by FOX31 Colorado, the city prosecutor declined an interview request from the Problem Solvers.
A spokeswoman for Westminster Police told FOX 31 the city prosecutor didn’t forward the case to the district attorney because the city prosecutor felt criminal intent could not be proven, so it was handled as a municipal violation.
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These two people should have been prosecuted for the extreme indifference they exhibited to Teddy. I’m so happy Teddy now has a home with a Mommy who loves him & will see he stays healthy.