Palm Coast man accused of kicking, killing 4-month-old puppy

FLORIDA -- A Palm Coast man is accused of kicking and killing a 4-month-old puppy while at his girlfriend's house "because he was very annoyed," deputies said.

Wesley Jackson, 27, was arrested Friday and charged with cruelty to animals in connection to the Sept. 16 incident involving a Chihuahua puppy named Little Man, according to a Flagler County Sheriff's Office report.

The puppy was already dead by the time it was brought to a veterinarian's office on Sept. 16, the report states. The puppy's owner, Mark Mitchell, brought the puppy to the veterinarian's office and requested a necropsy — an animal autopsy —  to determine the cause dog’s cause of death. 

The puppy suffered "multiple bruises on its body and a broken back right leg," the report states. It also had blood coming out of its nose and mouth.

The veterinarian determined the cause of death was "severe pulmonary contusions caused by blunt force trauma," the report states.

The veterinarian told a Sheriff's Office deputy that the puppy could have lived (and suffered) about one hour with the injuries without treatment.

"She stated that it appears that the dog could have been forcefully kicked or possibly throw against something like a wall," the report states.

The veterinarian asked deputies to further investigate the case because of the possibility of animal abuse.

Deputies then spoke with Mitchell, who stated the puppy was fine when he left for work at 7 a.m. Friday. He told deputies the dog appeared "normal and in good health," the report states.

Mitchell's 13-year-old daughter returned home from school around 3 p.m. that same day and observed her older sister's boyfriend, later identified as Jackson, "standing over the dog in their computer room looking down at it," the report states.

The girl stated that the dog appeared to be choking and blood was coming from its mouth.

When the girl asked Jackson what happened to the dog, he stated that he came to the house to get on the computer and "found the dog lying on the floor by the front door," the report states.

According to the report, Jackson then told the girl that he picked the puppy up and brought it to the computer room to see what was wrong with it. Jackson also said that's when the puppy started to choke and bleed from the mouth.

Mitchell told Jackson to bring the puppy to the animal hospital and that he would meet him there, but Jackson refused at first. He eventually agreed. Jackson then called Mitchell while he was on his way to the animal hospital to tell him that the dog died, according to the report.

After further investigation, detectives determined the puppy "continued to jump on (Jackson's) leg."

Jackson, according to the report, then told detectives that he kicked the dog "so hard that it slammed against the corner of the computer table and it ran off yelping (and) screaming."

Jackson then left the house without checking on the puppy before he returned around 2 p.m. He told detectives that he attempted to CPR on the puppy by preforming chest compressions. Jackson also admitted to trying to clean up some of the blood to "hide it."

(News 13 Orlando - September 30, 2014)