A Florida guy was unaware that he was being filmed when he lost his temper with his pet and started hitting it.
A police investigation was prompted after his horrific abuse was captured on camera and went viral. Since then, the alleged animal abuser has discovered his fate.
A 23-year-old Florida man named Marcus Chiddister was upset about his dog’s actions when he was at a Fort Myers RaceTrac fueling station.
The man started “punishing” Sheeba, a 2-year-old pit bull, who was in the backseat of Chiddister’s gold Chrysler automobile.
Chiddister became enraged and began repeatedly punching the dog to discipline it, but he would end up learning the hard way.
He was unaware that a passerby had noticed Chiddister and had captured the dog owner punching his 2-year-old pit bull in the face while he was parked at the petrol station.
Following the release of the video footage of the horrific beating to the public and media, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers quickly saw the tape go viral, reaching a large online audience.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) was contacted by a RaceTrac employee who recognized the man in the video as Chiddister after seeing the dog being thrashed in news reports and social media posts, according to NBC 2.
Deputies saw Chiddister pulling up in the identical gold-colored Chrysler that was captured on camera while they were looking into the footage at the same petrol station where the beating took place.
When questioned by deputies, Chiddister acknowledged that Sheeba had eaten his lunch that day, which infuriated him.
He then admitted to authorities, according to The Blaze, that he was “punching cockroaches in a pile of clothing in the backseat” rather than the dog.
But the pit bull’s inspection at Lee County Domestic Animal Services, where the allegedly abused canine was brought, revealed a very different picture.
According to Yahoo! News, the dog’s checkup uncovered some important evidence of mistreatment, including shattered teeth.
In addition, Sheeba had a cracked and exposed pulp cavity, slight edema in both her left and right eyes.
A resolving hemorrhage in her left eye, bruises around her right ventral neck, and bruising that was consistent with animal abuse.
The doctor determined that the dog’s soft tissue bruises resulted from contusions caused by blunt force trauma from striking with a fist or hand.
The pit bull was taken by Lee County Domestic Animal Services after the examination showed the severity of the dog’s injuries and concluded that they were “non-accidental.”
The dog was subsequently adopted by a new, devoted family in Lee County. Detectives also located Marcus Chiddister, who was allegedly staying with his girlfriend at the Travelodge across the street from the RaceTrac on US-41.
During the interrogation, Chiddister and his girlfriend, Kiara Howse, 23, admitted to keeping a puppy named Sheeba, which they claimed to have had for a few months following the dog’s rescue.
The two informed detectives that Sheeba had disturbed Chiddister by taking his food. Howse stated that “Chiddister went to the back seat and hit Sheba multiple times, and it’s not the first time he’s hit the dog like that.”
According to NBC 2. Chiddister claimed that he was hitting cockroaches on clothing in the backseat. A booking was made for Marcus Chiddister at the Lee County Jail.
According to WINK News, Chiddister was given a sentence of three years in prison and two years of probation after being found guilty of beating the dog at a gas station in Fort Myers.
Police also petitioned the court to impose a ban on Marcus Chiddister and Kiara Howse’s future ownership of dogs or any other animals.
Marcus Chiddister’s acts and the sentence he received elicited a furious reaction from the sheriff.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno expressed in a public statement the feelings of numerous social media users who had watched the upsetting footage of Sheeba being abused.
Sheriff Marceno pledged in his statement to “always protect those who cannot protect themselves” in addition to denouncing Chiddister.
“These individuals are not human!” Sheriff Marceno summarized the feelings of the majority of viewers of the video when he spoke about the animal-abusing pair.
The sheriff added on Facebook, “I will ALWAYS protect those who cannot protect themselves.” “It’s disgusting to repeatedly punch an animal with a closed fist,” he added.
Marceno continued, “My legal team and detectives worked TIRELESSLY alongside our partners at the State Attorney’s Office.”
“I’m happy to report that their diligence resulted in the criminal’s abusive actions being sentenced.”
