The suspect, identified as Randal B. Hart, 28, 8450 County Road 13 North, was booked into the county jail and will have a first appearance Tuesday morning.
Deputies along with county animal control responded to the suspect’s residence Monday morning after a witness contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident. The witness stated that the suspect had stabbed the dog several times and cut its throat. The suspect then was seen dragging the howling dog to a nearby plot of land, the release said.
The suspect was located at his residence and secured without incident. It took the deputy and the animal control officer about 45 minutes to locate the dog, a St. Bernard mix, in a grassy area near the home.
The dog was still alive but in obvious distress. The animal control officer transported the dog to Atlantic Veterinarian Hospital for emergency surgery.
According to the report, the suspect told the deputy that he stabbed the dog because the dog bit a kitten and needed to be “put down.” The deputy also located the kitten and observed no injury to the kitten as it was, in fact, playing with another dog on the property.
(St Augustine - January 14, 2013)
