Dog beating suspect turns himself in

The man accused of beating a dog outside Spokane City Hall in June turned himself in early this morning. Michael J. Jones, 20, was booked into Spokane County Jail on one count of first-degree animal cruelty about 7:30 a.m. His first appearance is set for Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court. Jones tried to turn himself in late last month but was turned away because charges hadn’t been filed. Police sent a charging recommendation to prosecutors last week, and Jones’ lawyer, Chris Bugbee, said his client has been cooperating with police. Jones is accused of throwing a 5-pound Shih Tzu named Cocoa Butter against a wall by her leash after smashing out a car window and pulling the dog from the car June 22. The dog’s owners, Louise and Tom Tuffin, returned from a movie to find the badly injured dog on the sidewalk.