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PALM BAY, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - A pitbull is recovering after cops say a man dragged him behind a truck while going 45 miles per hour for a half mile.
All four legs of the dog are bandaged. The pitbull appeared to be in so much pain that he didn't want to leave the back seat of the vehicle to go into the vet. Thankfully, a Palm Bay Animal Clinic veterinarian and her staff came out to sedate him.
The owner said that he is mad about the incident. "One of my friends got in my truck to get breakfast and noy knowing the dog was tied to the back of the truck and proceeded to drive and drag the dog down Grant Street to University. He had no idea."
However, the owner went on to say that the owner thinks it's an accident.
Police say the pitbull was tied with a short leash to the tailgate hitch of his pick-up truck and a witness told him that the driver, Jean Alcee, drove the truck 45 miles per hour while dragging the dog for a half mile. They say a witness caught the driver and honked her horn until he stopped.
Police arrested Jean Alcee for cruelty to animals and driving with a suspended license. Alcee believes that someone intentionally moved the dog off the regular leash and tied him to the pick-up truck without noticing.
The owner plans to nurse his dog back to health, saying "I treat those dogs like they're my kids. I have four kids and I consider those dogs one of my kids."
Fox 35 spoke to the suspect, who actually was at the animal clinic on Friday with the dog's owner. He told us that he came there because he is concerned about the well-being of the dog.