March 5, 2022- 5:50 p.m.
Florida – A 46-year-old woman in Clearwater, Florida was charged with animal cruelty after allegedly throwing her ex-boyfriend’s dog to its death off a balcony on Sunday morning.
The suspect, Shelley Vaughn, got into an argument with her ex-boyfriend, Eric Adeson, of seven months over her alcohol use inside his condo, according to court documents; Adeson said the two had broken up in February.
Vaughn first threw her Adeson’s keys and cell phone over the balcony. She then grabbed his 3-year-old puggle, Bucky, and intentionally threw him off the seventh floor.
Court documents show that Vaughn also faces a charge of criminal mischief and one count of domestic battery after scratching and attempting to strike her boyfriend.
Clearwater Police were unable to locate the Vaughn, who lives in the same complex, on Sunday but she was arrested and booked into Pinellas County Jail on Monday afternoon according to jail records.
Vaughn’s bond was set at $21,000 on Tuesday, and she was released on Wednesday afternoon on the condition that she have no contact with Adeson, not enter the seventh floor of their building, forfeit her weapon and wear an ankle monitor.
Adeson has also filed a civil suit over the incident against Vaughn seeking $100,000 in damages, according to Law & Crime. The suit alleges that Vaughn went to Adeson’s on Sunday morning smelling of alcohol and appeared to be drunk. When she refused to leave his apartment at his request, she began to argue with him and throw his personal belongings.
According to the civil suit, “Upon Plaintiff’s final request to leave his home, [Vaughn], stopped, smiled at Plaintiff, picked up his small puggle dog ‘Bucky,’ and threw him over the exterior balcony railing to the concrete parking lot below, resulting in the death of Plaintiff’s pet dog and companion,” the suit states.
In Florida, intentional death or infliction of harm to an animal is a third-degree felony that can be punishable for up to five years.
