Florida dog dragging suspect in custody

SPRING HILL, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A man accused of dragging a pit bull behind his truck in Spring Hill is now in custody. 

Gregory Tousignant, 58, was arrested on Wednesday night, according to online jail records. 

Deputies in Hernando County say Tousignant, a transient, is the man who dragged a 1-year-old dog behind his moving truck before the animal slipped out of his collar.

"He came loose and flew into the median at which point he was rescued," wrote Jan Harwood, owner of Nature Coast Animal Wellness & Surgical Center, who witnessed it.

The dog, now named Ollie, was rushed to the vet clinic where he has been recovering from severe road rashes on his body as well as bloody paws.

“He’s doing really well, he doesn’t have any broken bones or internal injuries,” Harwood said. 

Michael Terry, a spokesman for the Hernando Sheriff’s Office, says this doesn’t appear to be intentional because the dog was standing in the bed of the truck before jumping. A rope was tied to his collar.

“[Witnesses] saw the dog jump out of the truck as he was traveling down the road, and they actually tried to stop him. [Tousignant] didn’t hear him,” Terry said. 

It is illegal in Florida to carry a pet in the bed of a truck that is not properly secured.

Tousignant faces an animal cruelty charge which carries a $1,000 bond.