Suspect In Death of Franky the Pug Now In Custody

Nathan Burke, a suspect in the brutal death of a pug dog named Franky, is now in custody.

Gouldsboro Police say they were called to a domestic violence call on Dyer Lane, with assistance from Winter Harbor Police, the Maine Warden Service, and the Maine Marine Patrol. As a result, Burke was arrested on multiple charges, as well for an outstanding arrest warrant.

Police have been looking for Burke since he failed to appear in court in August, for violations in connection with the death of Franky, a dog belonging to a Winter Harbor lobster boat captain who had been his boss.

Burke and Nathan Chipman, who had both worked on Phil Torrey's boat, were accused of torturing the dog before killing him and dumping him in the water. Torrey said he returned from a concert to find his dog missing and his SUV damaged.

Franky's body washed up on shore sometime later. Chipman was convicted in November of burglary, theft, unauthorized use of property, criminal mischief, and aggravated cruelty to animals. He's due to be sentenced this month.