ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – An Oklahoma man is sitting in the St. Louis City jail Saturday after prosecutors charged him with over a dozen animal abuse charges, saying he showed up at a local crematorium with four dead dogs. Police say they found a total of 16 dogs in dire conditions in the man’s box truck.

St. Louis City prosecutors charged 38-year-old Robert Peters of Noble, Oklahoma, Friday with nine counts of animal abuse by torture, a class E felony, and seven counts of animal abuse, a class A misdemeanor. Peters is being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center without bond.

According to a police probable cause statement, officers received a call on Friday from a local crematorium saying a man had brought four dogs to be cremated. An employee of the crematorium told officers it wasn’t unusual for people to request their dogs be cremated, but it was unusual for someone to bring in four at once.

When officers arrived, they said they found Peters and his box truck at the scene. Police say Peters told them he owns an animal transportation business for animals that he runs out of their Oklahoma home.

Inside the box truck, police said they found 16 dogs in dire condition. Four of the dogs in the truck were dead. Seven other dogs were in what police said were “near death” and critical condition. The other five dogs were in stable condition.

Police said many of the dogs were covered in their own feces and urine, and that a “sawdust-like powder” covered the dogs and truck. Police said the dogs appeared lethargic due to the high temperatures in the back of the box truck.

Police, along with St. Louis Animal Control, took the dogs from the scene.

First Alert 4 is working to gather more information on the dogs’ condition after they were taken from Peters.

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• Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt began his term as president of the United States Conference of Mayors.
• Holt is believed to be the first Native American to serve in this role.
• The Conference of Mayors allows city leaders to share ideas and learn from each other’s successes and failures.

In addition to serving as mayor of Oklahoma City and as the dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law, David Holt added another hat to his wardrobe, now serving as the president of the United States Conference of Mayors.  

His tenure as the organization’s 83^rd president began the same day the Oklahoma City Thunder won its first NBA championship. He’s the second OKC mayor to serve in that capacity.  

Holt’s term runs until June 2026, and he is believed to be the first Native American to serve in the role, according to a city news release. Former Mayor Mick Cornett served as the organization’s president in 2016-17 and hosted the annual meeting in Oklahoma City in 2010 when Holt served as Cornett’s chief of staff.  

Beyond the logistics of running a nearly century old organization, it’s an opportunity to learn from other cities and have other cities learn from OKC, Holt told The Oklahoman. He said he has found a lot of value in the organization. Another benefit is friendship and camaraderie with other mayors.  

“I think part of our story in the last 30 years has been mayors who are willing to market the city and represent the city and that ultimately is just part of the strategy,” he told The Oklahoman. “I often say that people don’t visit, live in or invest in cities they’ve never heard of, so there’s a lot of ways that we as a community get our name out there.” 

MAPS projects have been an inspiration for other cities

Holt said cities are able to learn from each other and cited Oklahoma City’s MAPS projects. It’s now one of the most well-known initiatives in urban circles, Holt said.