WARNING: This article contains graphic images.
South Daytona, FL - A 58-year-old South Daytona man is facing a 3rd-degree felony animal cruelty charge after he threw a lit M80 firecracker at a pair of dogs, causing severe injuries to one of the dog's legs, which had to be amputated.
South Daytona Police went to Pineapple Rd. at around 1:44 PM on Tuesday, November 14, in response to an animal complaint. The reporting person told officers that their neighbor's dog from across the street was running around loose in their yard. The first officer to arrive on scene called central dispatch to report that a 15 lb purebred dachshund had suffered severe injuries. The dog's owner had already left and taken the dog to the animal hospital.
The suspect, Madison E. Carroll, 58, told officers that his neighbor had two small dogs who were always aggressive towards him and others. He said that he and his niece were sitting on the front porch when the dogs ran loose into his yard. Carroll told police that the dogs frequently get loose and run into his yard. The dogs approached the two, and Carroll's niece tried to pet one of the dogs, and according to Carroll, it tried to bite her. Carroll told police that he went into his house to get an M80 firework, then lit it and threw it near where the dogs were in his front yard to try and scare them away. When the firework exploded, one of the dogs was right next to it and had its paw blown off.
Carroll admitted that his actions were excessive, but he said he was in fear for his life from the dog. In the incident report, the responding officer wrote that they could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Carroll's breath and the man's speech was slurred and mumbled. Carroll's niece admitted to police that the 58-year-old has a drinking problem and is frequently intoxicated.
The dog's owner told police that when she asked Carroll what happened, he responded, "I was getting rid of the damn dogs," then he laughed.
According to the incident report, the dog will need surgery and its right leg will be amputated. The officer also noted that "a firework of that size could have killed the dog had it picked it up with its mouth."
Police say that there were no prior reported animal complaints of the dogs getting loose. Carroll was arrested for aggravated animal cruelty and was brought to the Volusia County Jail, where, as of Wednesday, he was being held on $2,500 bail.
(Carroll's mugshot courtesy the Volusia County Jail)
Photos courtesy the South Daytona Police Department.
