ESTERO, Fla. — A blue-nosed Pitbull is recovering from a bruised and swollen neck after his owner allegedly kicked and dragged him by his leash Tuesday afternoon in Estero.
During a press conference, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno showed cell phone video he said captured the moment 20-year-old Beckham McLeod allegedly took off his muddied shoes, grabbed the Pitbull, named King, by his neck, and started kicking and dragging him by his collar along the sidewalk.
"Some say a picture is worth a thousand words," Marceno said. "I can describe this one as disgusting."
The sheriff said witnesses called deputies around 5 p.m. Tuesday to report an animal abuse incident at the Coastal Village apartments in Estero.
They told deputies moments before the beating they saw King run into a nearby pond during a walk with McLeod. Then McLeod reportedly grabbed King out of the water, took off his shoes and repeatedly hit him in his chest and neck.
Deputies promptly arrested McLeod at his home. King was sent to be evaluated at a nearby vet, where they found bruising and swelling where he was kicked.
Sheriff Marceno said when deputies questioned McLeod about what happened, he told them he “was just disciplining his dog.” When he was further questioned, McLeod asked: “What? I can’t reprimand my dog?”
"What you see there is not reprimanding. It's cruel. It is abuse," the sheriff said.
McLeod is charged with aggravated animal abuse while King remains at Lee County Domestic Animal Services until he gets a loving home.
If convicted, McLeod will be logged into an abuse registry where it is likely that he won’t own a pet again.
Marceno credited King's rescue to the bystanders who reported the abuse.
"'See it, say it, make the call' works," Marceno said. "The caller here is a hero. They made the call. They got King out of an abusive home."
