A 42-year-old Florida man identified as Salomon Cruz-Perez has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after police found two dogs were found dead and hanging from a tree in his backyard. In a bizarre statement, Cruz-Perez allegedly told police that the dogs had tied themselves up.
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According to a St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office
press release, officers arrived at Cruz-Perez's residence located at 2111 Dade Road, Fort Pierce, Florida, on March 16, around 5:29 p.m. St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in a press conference that no one answered the door. However, deputies heard a person in the backyard. When deputies walked around the backyard, they made the startling discovery.As per the press release, deputies found Salomon Cruz-Perez alongside two dead dogs. The dogs, a male and a female, were "suspended by their necks from a tree." Moreover, after obtaining a search warrant, a police investigation found that the dogs were hanging from the tree with "coaxial cable, paracord, tie-down straps, and chains" tied to their necks.
Arrested And Charged
Sheriff Del Toro stated that Cruz-Perez admitted to owning the dogs. Bizarrely, he allegedly told deputies that the dogs, somehow, managed to tie themselves up. As per Del Toro, Cruz-Perez had allegedly attempted to euthanize the dogs just a few weeks before.
"The deceased dogs were collected by St. Lucie County Animal Control and will be transported to Orlando for a necropsy," the sheriff's office press release reads. "The necropsy will determine the cause, mode, and manner of death."
Salomon Cruz-Perez was arrested and charged with two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty resulting in death. According to PEOPLE, he made his first court appearance on Monday, March 17. He is currently being held at the St. Lucie County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The outlet reports that Cruz-Perez does not have legal representation at this time.
No information regarding Cruz-Perez's reason behind the alleged hanging of his dogs has been revealed by authorities. Given the gruesome nature of the alleged offense, significant backlash online has flooded the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office press release. Many users are asking for justice, calling Cruz-Perez a "monster."
