Newly adopted dog found decapitated at Fort De Soto, owner arrested: deputies
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Petersburg man was arrested Tuesday after his newly-adopted dog was found dead inside a plastic bag, deputies say.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Domingo Rodriguez, 66, drove to Fort De Soto Park on Saturday morning with a large cooler in the back of his pickup.
Rodriguez was accused of decapitating the animal, a bulldog mix named Dexter, whom he adopted the day before, and leaving it in the mangroves along the East Beach area wrapped in a plastic bag. The dog’s microchip was scanned after it was removed from the water, pointing deputies toward Rodriguez.
When deputies questioned Rodriguez at his home, they said he confirmed that he visited the Fort De Soto that day and was the sole driver of the pickup. Bags matching the one the dog was found in were also discovered at the home, according to deputies.
He told deputies that Dexter “must have run away,” according to PCSO.
“During the interview, (Rodriguez’s) story had many inconsistencies and contradictions,” a PCSO arrest report stated. “Despite being a new dog owner, (Rodriguez) only had the items provided to him at the time of the adoption.”
Deputies reported Rodriguez’s wife telling them that the dog was “alive and well” on Friday when she went to bed. By the time she woke up on Saturday, both Rodriguez and Dexter were gone.
Rodriguez was arrested Wednesday and charged with cruelty to animals and improper disposal of dead animals. He bonded out later that day.
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