Police said a Volusia County man drowned his dog on purpose in front of a crowd of eyewitnesses on Friday, but he won't go to jail for it. In fact, Bruce Johnson was charged with a misdemeanor animal cruelty. Eyewitnesses were outraged, but the State Attorney's Office said it's all they could do.
Johnson has a long criminal history and Daytona Beach Police said that he's been arrested 35 times. People fishing, on boats, in the park, saw the entire incident which happened along the intercostal waterway.
Bruce Johnson never had to spend a day in jail for a crime witnesses said they will remember their entire lives. "It was one of the most horrendous things I ever saw. It was horrible," said eyewitness Sarah Armstrong.
Off the end of a small public dock, Johnson was drowning his dog. Sarah and Bob Armstrong were on a nearby boat, saw the commotion and motored over to help. "I just kept pushing on his chest and he had some reaction there for a little bit and I tried more and more, but there didn't seem to be any reaction," said Bob Armstrong.
The Armstrongs and animal activists said they're shocked to find out Johnson will only get one-year probation and 300 community service hours for the drowning. A state attorney spokesman said prosecutors couldn't prove there was intent to be cruel.
"It's not a fish. He purposely put it in the water," said Animal Welfare Acitivist Pat Mihali. Mihalic said this was not an isolated case. There is a long history, she said of prosecutors being unwilling to aggressively go after animal abusers. "They have the evidence, they have the reason to prosecute them, but it just seems like it's easier to not pursue it," she said.
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