MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A 26-year-old Miami resident has been slapped with charges, including grand theft and animal cruelty, after police claimed he was caught on surveillance swiping three French bulldogs from his neighbor's backyard. In an unsettling display caught on tape, authorities say Nelson Steven Rodriguez was seen throwing the helpless pups over a fence, some landing with a disturbing thud on solid ground, others on waste bins, as per a WSVN report.
On the scene of the canine caper, which police responded to on Feb. 29, was near Southwest 256th Street and 109th Avenue in Princeton. Surveillance footage, according to the cops, showed Rodriguez and an unidentified male arriving in a black Toyota Sienna before the former was seen taking the dogs. Running into an arrest in the middle of Wednesday, Rodriguez was nabbed by police near his residence, his vehicle matching the one seen on video casing the neighborhood two days prior to the burglary, as Local10.com reported.
The trio of stolen French bulldogs, one adult and two puppies, suffered from the cruel manner they were handled, with one animal landing forcibly on a garbage bin and another rendered motionless by the impact of hitting the ground, the police detailed. According to detectives, the distressed dogs were scooped back up by Rodriguez and his cohort in crime before they fled the scene.
Determined work by the Miami-Dade Police Department led to the identification of Rodriguez, who detectives say is the victim’s neighbor. While the apprehension of the suspect has brought some resolution, the owners of the pilfered pooches are still waiting for their beloved pets to be returned, as they told 7News. Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to step forward and can call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS, where tipsters have the chance to earn a reward and can remain anonymous, the police reminded the public.
Police have not disclosed whether the unidentified male accomplice has been identified or remains at large.
