A man was arrested charged with aggravated animal cruelty in the Labrador puppy’s death early Saturday after police officers found his poor and innocent 9-month-old puppy beaten to death in his backyard.
After receiving a call from a man who said he could hear his neighbor beating his dog, the Ponce Inlet police said they went to a home on Aurora Avenue around 12:20 a.m. Once the local authorities arrived at the scene and said they saw Travis Archer, 43, in his backyard and heard what sounded like him punching the puppy.
When he was questioned, Archer told police the dog made a mess in the house and he was trying to discipline him when the dog bit his hand. Archer said he then hit the dog a couple of times.
Police followed Archer into the home, where they saw a pile of ripped-up papers and CD cases on the ground and a large hole in the wall.
Officers then followed Archer to the backyard, where they found the black dog lying on its side with its head resting against the fence. The dog appeared to have been gagged and was bleeding severely from its mouth. The responding officers also found blood stains all over the fence next to the dog’s body. They went over to check on the puppy and found that it was not breathing.
Archer told police that he threw the dog against the wall, brought it outside and hit it twice.
“A local resident was arrested early this morning for the offense of aggravated animal cruelty after officers responding to a call for service found a 9 month old Labrador bloodied and beaten lying against the fence in his back yard. Upon further investigation it was found that the dog had succumbed to his injuries and had expired,” Ponce Inlet Police Chief Frank Fabrizio said “Based upon the evidence that was found and collected from the scene the subject was then placed under arrest and transported to the Ponce Inlet Police Department and after processing transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail.”
Read More: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/fla-man-arrested-gagging-beating-puppy-death-article-1.3039357
