August 9, 2025 9:30 a.m.

Roseburg Police jailed a man for 20 counts of second-degree animal neglect on Monday.

An RPD report said at 1:50 p.m. officers responded to a property in the 1400 block of Southeast Stephens Street after a witness said they had seen two adult rottweilers attacking a puppy rottweiler in a kennel behind the location. The report said the kennel had an excessive amount of feces, filthy water, no visible food, and an unsafe environment that led to the puppy being severely injured.

Officers located another 20 dogs inside the residence which were in kennels with large amounts of feces. The report said the entire home smelled like death. The dog owner, 66-year-old Edward Whitley, had been contacted and warned on multiple previous occasions, but the conditions had worsened.

Whitley was taken into custody and detained without bail. The injured dog was taken to Saving Grace Humane Society for medical care.