A 20-year-old Florida man has been arrested after witnesses recorded video of him beating a 9-month-old puppy and called police.
Beckham McLeod was charged with aggravated animal abuse and is being held in the Lee County jail pending a bond hearing on May 13.
“When we first made contact with McLeod he simply said, ‘what, I can’t reprimand my dog?’ What you see there is not reprimanding, It’s cruel. It’s abuse,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a press conference announcing the arrest.
Marceno said two witnesses recorded video. The video he played at the news conference showed McLeod dragging the dog by the leash and kicking him in the face. The sheriff said he also kicked him in the chest and stomped him on the neck, which was recorded in the second video and aired on WTVT.
When deputies got the dog, named King, away from the abuser and took him for medical care, vets found bruising and swelling. Marceno said the dog will be treated and put up for adoption.
“I will do everything in my power to make certain McLeod will not own another animal. Once convicted, his name will be placed on our animal abuse registry,” Marceno said.
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[Featured image: Beckham McLeod/Lee County Sheriff’s Office]
