Video captures driver dragging dog from back of truck along Port Charlotte street
By NBC2 News
Click here for updates on this story
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — Video captured a driver dragging a dog along a Port Charlotte street from the back of a truck.
Charlotte County Animal Control is asking for help in finding a truck owner connected to the animal cruelty investigation.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies said the incident happened on Thursday, June 8, and involved a reddish-brown colored dog. It occurred near Lakeworth Blvd & Durant St. (in the Edgewater Dr. area), according to CCSO.
If you take a walk down Durant Street you’ll find blood stains and paw print blood stains for over a half mile.
Brian Jones has worked at Charlotte County Animal Control for 25 years and said this is by far one of the worst cases of animal abuse that he’s ever seen.
“It is, is one of the worst videos that’s ever been that I’ve had the displeasure of viewing in 25 years in this department and really anytime you drag an animal from a vehicle it is a horrendous act and this person really has some explaining to do,” said Jones.
Cyndi Hinchey lives on the road where this happened and her security cameras caught it on video. She said it was horrifying to see.
“He was dragging his dog or someone’s dog, I don’t know whose it was but he was dragging them down the street,” Hinchey said.
Hinchey said her neighbors saw the dog being dragged and chased after the truck to get it to stop.
“There’s a pile of blood where the dog, where he was confronted by the neighbors and he got out of the vehicle and grabbed the dog and used some profanities and threw the dog in the back of his truck and drove off,” she said.
Todd Tyler also lives on the street where this happened. He said he was pretty sure the dog was dead by the time the truck stopped. He also called 911.
“I was crying yesterday because I couldn’t believe that that poor dog, it’s gotta be one of the most brutal horrific ways to die…I can’t even imagine. That dog just probably loved that guy more than anything,” he said.
Tyler said that even though it rained hard yesterday, the blood is still on the street.
“I took my dogs on a walk yesterday and they were all over that line, they were sniffing that line — they wanted to sniff and follow it. They could smell that it was one of their friends, you know,” he said.
Charlotte County Public Safety believes the truck may be a 2009-2014 Gray Ford F-150 STX with an extended cab and a ladder rack.
Anyone with information about the truck pictured above or the incident can contact Charlotte County Animal Control at (941)833-5690.
Count on NBC2 to bring you the latest developments on this story.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
