INTERLACHEN, Fla. – An Interlachen man was arrested Wednesday after shooting his neighbor's Great Dane, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.
Justin Sutton, 29, is charged with animal cruelty, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violating an injunction.
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Sutton told deputies the Great Dane, named Fury, acted aggressively toward his dog. He told deputies he shot over the Great Dane's head to scare it but may have accidentally hit the Great Dane.
According to the Sheriff's Office, it was the statement of an independent witness and dog tracks in the dirt road that led to the charges, as deputies determined Fury was not on Sutton’s property off Volusia Drive, as he claimed.
Another neighbor told News4Jax that she and Fury's owner took the 14-month-old Great Dane to a veterinarian, who found that Fury couldn't move three of his legs because of a spinal cord injury.
The vet told deputies that based on the bullet trajectory, the dog was running away when shot. The bullet was removed and the dog was paralyzed at last check. Deputies said it will take several weeks to determine whether Fury will recover from his injuries.
News4Jax was told the dog will go into rehab and might need a wheeled cart. Pit Sisters is helping.
Sutton was booked into the Putnam County jail, where he remained as of Friday on $50,000 bond.