LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. — Newly-obtained surveillance video shows what police said was a case of animal abuse in Lighthouse Point.
The city’s police department arrested Jefferson Fogaca, 42, on a felony animal cruelty charge on Friday.
In the video, you can hear the dog whimpering in pain as police said Fogaca hit the canine in the face with a sandal at least a dozen times.
It happened while he was walking in a parking lot behind Bateman, Gordon & Sands Inc. Insurance at 3050 N. Federal Highway, near his home.
Police said the video also shows Fogaca dragging the dog by her collar.
The report doesn’t make clear who reported the alleged abuse, but police said they were able to track Fogaca down to his home on Northeast 19th Terrace.
Police said he admitted to being in the video, “but claimed he only remembered doing so a few times” and said “his actions were driven by fear that the dog might run away.”
The report states that a neighbor confirmed she “heard a dog crying loudly on the day of the incident” and said she saw Fogaca, whom she’s familiar with, “walking past her apartment with the white dog.”
She “reported that the dog was audibly crying and appeared to be in pain,” police added.
Fogaca would later be released on a $2,500 bond, court records show. No one was at his home when Local 10 News stopped by seeking comment.
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