A North Carolina man is arrested on charges of repeatedly killing a donkey named Cowboy in his stall.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for shooting a donkey several times, leaving it for dead and threatening the animal’s owner.

On Thursday, the department asked the public for help in finding Nicholas “Nick” Blalock, formerly of Clayton, North Carolina, who was wanted on animal cruelty charges after a donkey was repeatedly shot and killed in his stall near Apex in late February. named Cowboy.

Investigators described Blalock – a white male about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds – and said he was last seen driving and possibly sleeping in a white pickup truck.

Blalock was also wanted by County Investigators and U.S. Marshals for passing threats to Cowboy’s owner, who they said found the badly injured animal in his stall on the morning of the shooting.

Cowboy was taken to North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital where he received life-saving medical attention.

In its request for information, the sheriff’s office posted a photo of Blalock and two Cowboys, noting that Cowboy was on the left and Blalock was on the right, presumably to distinguish which one was the donkey.

On Friday, the department updated its Facebook post to say that Blalock had been arrested and was being held at the Chatham County Detention Center.

“Thank you to everyone who liked, shared or commented with words of support,” the agency said in a statement. “We are especially grateful to everyone who helped the investigation by calling in clues as to his whereabouts. The cowboy is still recovering and his family expresses their sincere gratitude to you for your efforts!”