PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla — A Florida man has been arrested after a dog was found decapitated and floating in the water at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County.
Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the East Beach at Fort DeSoto Park on May 14 after people reported a dead dog wrapped in a plastic bag.
The Pinellas Sheriff's Office said when deputies arrived, they found a bulldog mix dog with his head decapitated and floating in the mangroves.
The dog had been microchipped and scanned to find its name and owner. It was identified as a 4-year-old dog named Dexter. Deputies said Domingo Rodriguez, 66, adopted Dexter from Pinellas Animal Services on May 10, just four days before the body was found.
Rodriguez admitted to owning the dog but said that he had run away on May 10. Rodriguez did admit to deputies that he traveled to Fort Desoto Park on May 11. Due to Rodriguez's inconsistent statements, deputies arrested him on one count of Animal Cruelty and one count of Disposal of Bodies of Dead Animals.
Rodriguez was booked into jail and has since been released on bond.
ABC Action News Meteorologist Denis Phillips discusses Hurricane Milton and how it will impact the Tampa Bay area.
