After receiving several reports concerning the wellbeing of a dog owned by Henry Evans, 65, of 400 Village Road, Muncy, officers made several attempts to make contact with Evans before being successful, according to court documents.

Calls to Evans’ phone were unsuccessful, as the number they initially had was no longer in service, so officers with the Lycoming County SPCA visited his residence on July 3, but were told that Evans had not returned to the property since their previous visit.

Further, they were informed that Evans was not at the property often, preferring to stay at local hotels instead, but that he was usually at the location on Mondays.

Officers returned to the home four days later and found Evans sitting in his car out front with his dog, Harley, in the rear.

Upon request, Evans removed Harley from the vehicle for officers to inspect the canine.

Harley was allegedly extremely thin and appeared weak with difficulty standing and walking, authorities allege in an affidavit.

Evans related that he had last had Harley seen by a veterinarian three months prior, with the dog currently being 7 years old.

Advised to remain at the property until officers could obtain a warrant for Harley to receive care, Evans profusely refused mistreating the dog and allegedly stated that he would not be giving his dog to anyone, adding that he would be getting his lawyer involved, court documents said.

The officer returned to the residence, along with a state trooper, took the canine into their custody and transported him to a veterinary clinic for evaluation.

Harley was found to have had a Purina Body Condition System of 1.5 out of nine, with an ideal score being five. Additionally, the dog was found to be anemic and to have a flea infestation, an affidavit said.

Evans did not deny Harley’s condition and expressed his belief that the canine may have worms, however test results were negative for such an infestation.

Evans was arraigned on four counts of neglect of animals by District Judge Kirsten Gardner and released on $5,000 bail.