Animal cruelty charge in BB gun incident

FORT PIERCE, FL — A 28-year-old man was arrested after a roommate suspected him of shooting his pitbull with a BB gun because the pitbull “chewed up” a pair of the 28-year-old man’s sneakers, according to reports released Monday.

Jason Alexis Bennett, of the 200 block of North 18th Street, faces a felony animal cruelty charge following the Sunday afternoon incident.

The 20-year-old pitbull owner told police the dog recently has been causing fights between himself and Bennett because the pooch is “chewing up and destroying” Bennett’s things.

The pitbull owner said when he got home about 2 p.m. he noticed the dog had a cut, which was about the size of a BB, less than one inch from its eye.

Bennett told the dog owner he shot the dog with a BB gun.

The owner thought Bennett shot the dog on purpose because the dog chewed up a pair of his sneakers.

Bennett told police he was drinking at the time. He said he was in the yard shooting at birds on a fence line that was about five feet in the air. He didn’t know he shot the pitbull until being confronted by his aunt.

Police believed Bennett must have shot down to hit the dog. Had Bennett been shooting at birds on a fence, he would have been shooting straight or at an upward angle.

Police seized the Daisy BB gun and a container of 6,000 BBs.

Reported by: Will Greenlee/Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers