- Florida, USA -
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-years-old SAMUEL LEO ROBERTS (pictured), after his ex-girlfriend provided investigators with videos and photos showing him abusing a 6-week-old Pitbull-type puppy.
The abuse went on at ROBERTS’ apartment on 4435 Touchstone Road E (Apt 239) that the woman was sharing with ROBERTS.
According to the ex-girlfriend, ROBERTS was being abusive to her and her puppy so she secretly started filming ROBEBRTS while he was mad.
News4Jax reports that one of the videos submitted by the ex-girlfriend, showed ROBERTS slamming the puppy to the floor many times as the furbaby vomited and bled out his/her small mouth. The woman told the investigator that when she tried to pick up the puppy, ROBERTS first pushed her out of the way and then tossed the puppy into a cage and around the house.
According to the ex-girlfriend, during the 10 minutes while the puppy was being abused, the puppy cried and screamed. The woman told investigators that she packed her bags but ROBERTS would not allow her to take her dog.
Investigators said that among the photos submitted by the ex-girlfriend was one showing a red, fawn and white Pitbull-type dog wearing a vest/harness and the dog had significant bruising along the neck and jawline consistent with blunt force trauma.
Investigators also noted that the first video showed several areas of a wall inside the apartment with streaks of what appeared to be blood.
A second video had an obstructed view due to the phone camera being hidden, but what the audio revealed was unmistakable. Investigators also received an email from the ex-girlfriend saying that she did not want another puppy to be killed and that ROBERTS went out and got another dog.
The arrest report shows that on Thursday, July 14, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office showed up at ROBERTS’ apartment and while they were outside, they observed bags of trash including various dog items and a shower curtain with animal feces, urine, and what appeared to be blood on it.
ROBERTS was then taken into custody. When he was questioned, he denied abusing the puppy. He told officers he and his ex-girlfriend broke up approximately 2 months ago and he kicked her out. ROBERTS went on to say that he had gotten a German Shepherd puppy with her and he then gave the puppy named “duck duck” to his cousin. ROBERTS did not know the name of his cousin and stated the puppy was alive and in good health.
Officers confronted ROBERTS about what they saw in the videos and in the pictures. ROBERTS claimed the Pitbull puppy had hurt himself/herself inside the cage.
Officers also asked ROBERTS about the blood stain they saw on a wall and ROBERTS said that was not blood but shoe paint from when he and his friends gut drunk.
Officers proceeded to ask ROBERTS about the second video, the one that had an obstructed view but the audio was irrefutable evidence. ROBERTS said he was not hitting the puppy, he was just hitting things around the apartment and the puppy could be heard crying because he/she was afraid and in pain from a leg problem.
ROBERTS told officers that both puppies, were under veterinarian care but could not identify the vet by name.
ROBERTS was booked into the Duval County Jail on one count of aggravated animal cruelty and released after posting a $2,500 bond!
Online court records show ROBERTS is scheduled to be arraigned in Duval County Court on August 4, 2022.
News4Jax reports that the State Attorney’s Office told the news agency that the puppy did not die and no other dogs were at the apartment.
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