Newtown Resident Charged With Killing Two Pet Dogs
by Alex Lloyd Gross
George Gooch Ash, of Essex Place, Newtown Township, is currently in a psychiatric facility. If and when he is released, he will be walked out of the place in handcuffs and taken to jail. Authorities said he will face very serious animal cruelty charges stemming from an incident inside his home on January 18, 2025.,
On that date, something happened to him mentally and he told police that he began to hit and kick his dogs earlier in the day, for no reason. He went to visit his mother in a nursing home and when he returned, he started the abuse.
He grabbed kitchen knives and stabbed the family pets to death. The dogs were identified as a 7-year-old male Beagle-Lab mix named Blake and a 9-year-old female Beagle-Collie mix named Shyla. Ash then also stabbed himself a few times and then called police to tell them what he had done.
Blake and Shyla
Police located a steak knife handle lying on the kitchen floor with a large portion of the blade broken off. A second knife was found inside the kitchen sink and wrapped in a bloody rag. That knife was described as a chef-style knife with an 8-inch blade. Both knives appeared to have dried blood on them. Police also found blood-covered paper towels balled up on the kitchen counter, next to the sink.
Ash was taken to the hospital and the SPCA was called to assist with the investigation. He has not yet been processed by police. when that happens, he will be fingerprinted and his mug shot will be taken. Ash will be sent to prison unless he can post bail. The photo of him was from his social media, supplied by the District Attorney. They will swap this out with his mug shot when it is taken.
“We will dedicate our resources to this investigation to ensure that George Ash is convicted fairly and justly.” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said. He is charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. He will be arraigned at a later time.