Oak Harbor man charged with dog stabbing

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 7, 2026

An Oak Harbor man is facing felony charges after allegedly stabbing a dog during an argument and threatening to kill two women last month, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 39-year-old James L. Mathis in Island County Superior Court March 3 with animal cruelty in the first degree and two counts of felony harassment.

An officer with the Oak Harbor Police Department started investigating the case on Feb. 9 after a woman reported that Mathis had threatened to kill her and a friend, according to the officer’s report. She said he got angry when she left the home to help a friend with moving her vehicle and threw items at her when she returned; when she and her friend started to leave with her children, Mathis broke the car’s windshield, the report states.

Mathis allegedly threatened both women and said he would burn down the house with everyone inside, the report states.

One of the women also reported that Mathis stabbed her pitbull two days prior. She reported that Mathis pushed the dog and it bit him. Mathis “went after” the dog and stabbed it with a knife, the officer wrote. She said he was going to kill the dog if she didn’t stop him.

The dog was taken to an Oak Harbor veterinary office and was treated, which was funded by crisis care funds from Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation. The medical report states that the dog suffered a two-inch-long stab wound, and the veterinarian inserted drainage tubes that were removed two weeks later.

A judge approved a summons ordering Mathis to appear in court March 23.