Dog Attacked with Wrench by CenterPoint Energy Contractor Died

One of the dogs that was seen on video being beating with a large hand tool by a CenterPoint Energy contractor’s employee has died.

An employee of a CenterPoint Energy contractor was captured on a family’s security video camera system entering the back yard of their home and striking two dogs about the head and face with what appears to be a large channel lock pliers. The dogs appeared friendly as they approached the man, Breitbart Texas reported in April.

The Mike Wilcox family confirmed that one of their 8-year-old Weimaraners, Shutter, died from the trauma sustained in the attack. The other dog, Flash, had to undergo surgery for injuries to his jaw. He suffered a damaged eye, lost a tooth and had a concussion from the attack, KTRK ABC13 reported.

CenterPoint Energy agreed to reimburse the family for their veterinary expenses and demanded that the contractor, Star Corporation, not use the man on any further CenterPoint Energy jobs.

“They’ve never bitten anybody,” Willcox told the Houston Chronicle’s Jessica Hamilton in April. “They’re very friendly. I’ve had them since they were puppies.”

The worker had entered the family’s back yard to allegedly turn off the power because of a billing issue.

KPRC NBC2 published the entire CenterPoint Energy response to the attack on the dogs:

CenterPoint Energy has continued to investigate the events involving one of our contractor’s employees and a customer’s dogs. We are sorry this event occurred.

First, we have agreed to cover veterinary bills related to this incident. Second, we have thoroughly reviewed our expectations with the contractor and agreed that the technician involved in this incident will no longer work on any CenterPoint Energy matters.

We value our customers’ trust. We intend to maintain that trust that by reviewing our processes, procedures, and requirements related to engaging contractors. We will revisit our practices around entering customer property, particularly in disconnection situations and when encountering pets. And we will conduct appropriate training to ensure that those activities occur safely.

We are immensely proud of our thousands of employees and contract workers, many of whom face hazards every day on the job, sometimes encountering dangerous animals and customers. They perform thousands of work orders each year, without incident.

In everything we do, we strive to be a good corporate citizen and member of the communities in which we live and work. The safety of our customers, employees, and contractors is our number one commitment.

It has been about five weeks since the attack on the two dogs.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.