Man Accused Of Torturing Woman, Dog In Wagoner County

Wagoner County Deputies said that a man has been arrested and is accused of kidnapping, animal cruelty and other complaints.

Deputies said Joseph Meyer, 36, kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on December 7th and held her against her will for three days.  He kept her in his Wagoner County home that investigators described as a "house of horrors." 

Officials said the victim eventually escaped when Meyer fell asleep. 

Deputies said the woman told them that Meyer told them he planned to kill her before killing himself. 

Meyer kidnapped his estranged wife at gunpoint in Muskogee, deputies said. Over the next three days, investigators said Meyer repeatedly beat her with a handgun, metal pipe, his hands and feet. 

WCSO said Meyer didn't have utilities in his home, and when the weather turned colder, he took his victim to a Muskogee motel. That's where she managed to make her escape and report the crime.

She is being treated at a hospital with severe injuries, WCSO said.

Meyer was arrested by Muskogee Police, and investigators got a search warrant for his home. Investigators said that's when they discovered Meyer had also tortured a young dog at the residence.

Law enforcement said they found Bandit, "wrapped in a steel wire with no food, water, or shelter just waiting to die.” 

An affidavit states Meyer beat and poisoned the dog, leaving him for dead. The Wagoner County Sheriff's office said the woman was taken to a hospital, and the dog was taken to a animal clinic. 

Wagoner County Sheriff's Office is covering the expenses for the dog. 

Officials said Meyer is currently in the Muskogee County Detention Center and will be extradited to Wagoner County.  He's being held without bound.

Meyer is facing complaints of kidnapping, multiple counts of assault and battery, animal cruelty, threatening an act of violence, and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. 

"I never get used to the evil deeds people do to others," Sheriff Chris Elliott said.

"The victim and everyone at this department are happy she survived. It was clear that she would continue being a victim of this horrific crime for the rest of her life.”