'It's cruel, it's abuse:' Florida sheriff posts video online showing man beating dog

FORT MYERS, Fla. - A man is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges after video showed him beating his dog, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

In a post on X, Marceno said Beckham McLeod, 20, "violently" attacked the 9-month-old pitbull, named King, on Tuesday.

The sheriff said witnesses recorded the video while alerting deputies to the crime. Investigators arrested McLeod minutes later.

"When we first made contact with McLeod he simply said, ‘what, I can’t reprimand my dog?’ What you see there is not reprimanding, IT’S CRUEL…IT’S ABUSE!," Marceno wrote on X.

The sheriff's thread goes on to say King suffered from bruising and swelling around his neck, and will soon be put up for adoption.

"I will do everything in my power to make (absolutely) certain McLeod will not own another animal. Once convicted, his name will be placed on our animal abuse registry," Marceno continued.

Jail records show McLeod remains in custody, and is due back in court May 13.

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