Florida Man Arrested for Dumping Neighbor's Senior Dog in Dumpster
A man in Florida has been arrested for throwing his neighbors' 16-year-old dog into a dumpster after the pet's owners passed away.
The Arrest
Anthony Bellman, 55, has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after dumping his neighbors' senior Shih Tzu in a dumpster.
The incident took place in Lehigh Acres, Florida, where employees of a Family Dollar store discovered a moving trash bag in the dumpster.
Inside the bag, they found a Shih Tzu named Xyla with a rope around her neck.
Investigation and Arrest
Upon discovering the intentional abuse, the employees rushed Xyla to a local pet hospital and reported the incident to the police.
Detectives and officials from the county's Animal Cruelty Task Force quickly responded to the scene.
Surveillance footage revealed that Bellman had taken a black trash bag from his trunk and callously thrown it into the dumpster before driving away.
Chilling Behavior
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno expressed his disgust at Bellman's actions, stating that the video evidence showed zero regard for Xyla's well-being.
He emphasized that no living being should ever be treated as disposable trash.
The video footage gave detectives a clear lead, which led them to investigate Bellman further.
Pending Conviction and Xyla's Recovery
During the investigation, it was discovered that Xyla had been micro-chipped, but her original owners had sadly passed away.
Detectives located Bellman's vehicle near his residence and apprehended him for questioning.
Bellman informed his family that he was taking Xyla to be euthanized at a Humane Society, but his actions were deemed malicious.
If convicted, Bellman will be added to the county's Animal Abuse registry.
Xyla, who narrowly escaped a painful death, is currently recovering, and efforts are underway to find her a loving home with the assistance of Lee County Domestic Animal Services and the State Attorney's office.
