This is a great topic but I agree we need more facts.
First off in his OP srh stated he had seen the dog tied up to the guys bike every NIGHT, I just read the entire thread and I didn't see a post where srh said the dog baked in the sun. If so, can someone please give me a post number, I must have missed it. But if not this was an assumption someone threw out there. Who knows, during the day maybe the guy takes the dog to a shaded dog park with a water source? That dog just doesn't look in that bad of shape for the living conditions being described, mainly by others, while srh just curses everybody. There's too many holes in this story for me.
But I do want to add, srh, if that dogs conditions were that bad and he was abused then I do think you did the right thing, to a point. I believe you should have worked out a deal with the man or let the SPCA deal with it and adopt it from them. At least let the man say goodbye to his only and best friend.