Commerce City man arrested, accused of dragging dog to death behind truck

animal cruelty suspect

Jacob Ibarra was arrested this week for allegedly killing a dog by dragging her behind his truck while driving through Denver, the Denver Police Department announced.

Ibarra, 24, has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

Police said the incident happened on March 1 about 3 p.m. Police received numerous calls reporting a truck dragging a dog while going southbound on South Platte River Drive near West Mississippi Avenue.

The dog was connected to the truck on the passenger side by a leash around her neck. Witnesses said the truck drove at least 45 mph while the dog dragged on the road.

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Witnesses eventually got the truck to stop by honking, at which point the driver and a passenger got out and disconnected the dog. When onlookers began taking photos of the dog and truck, the two got back into the truck and fled.

Witnesses took the dog to an animal hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Police said they believe Ibarra was the driver of the truck. The passenger, described as a younger white man, has not yet been identified.

Officers identified Ibarra thanks to an anonymous tip submitted to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.

The tipster told police that the driver was named “Jacob” and gave them his phone number. The tipster also said “Jacob” was hiding the truck and trying to get rid of it.

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Police connected the phone number to Ibarra and went to his home in Commerce City. At the home, they found a truck matching the description of the suspect vehicle that had been spray-painted all black and had no license plates.

The truck was the same make and model as the suspect vehicle and was missing the same rear bumper. Inside the truck, police found the temporary license plate 8006610, matching the temporary plate of the suspect vehicle in witness photos.

Ibarra does not have a history of animal cruelty, according to public records.

However, Ibarra was arrested in Denver in 2019 for driving under the influence, without a valid license, without insurance, with expired license plates and careless driving. 

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