FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 16-year-old boy in Fort Pierce has been charged with first-degree arson and animal cruelty, accused of setting a pit bull on fire in a kennel, killing the dog.
WPTV is not identifying the teen because of his age. He has pleaded not guilty.
The dog's owner told WPTV she is grieving the loss of her dog while also hoping her family member accused of killing the dog gets the mental help she feels is needed.
Chastity Wilder said her 7-year-old pit bull, Creed, was her "baby."
"I have one son, so that was like my other son. That was my baby," Wilder said.
She said Creed was her spoiled little shadow.
"If I'm on my phone, he'd come and just push my phone out the way. Like, it's my turn, give me attention," Wilder laughed.
She loves talking about Creed, but it's also hard, given the way she lost him.
Police records show he was doused with gasoline and set on fire.
"I still have that image in my mind," Wilder said.
In September, Wilder said, she had been staying at a family member's house in Fort Pierce with Creed.
One afternoon, she said, Creed got into a fight with a family member's cat.
"Earlier that day he chased after Kitty and I went in the room and grabbed him, and he had a scratch on his nose from Kitty," Wilder said.
Wilder separated the cat from Creed and put Creed in a kennel on a back patio.
She said she kept him there so she could keep them apart while she took a nap, not wanting to worry about Creed and the cat getting into another fight.
"I woke up to my son screaming that my [family member] had just set Creed on fire," Wilder said. "I look up and all I see is just flames everywhere on the patio."
She said she grabbed the blanket she was using to sleep to try to put out the flames, also burning herself. The flames, she said, were too hot to get Creed out of the kennel.
"I still have that vision, the image of him on flames," Wilder said.
Wilder, who is still haunted by the sound of Creed's cries, called the police. Creed was still alive when they arrived, but he eventually died from his injuries. A prosecutor said evidence includes photographs of Creed dead in his kennel.
A police report said officers found the gas can and matches near the kennel.
"He wasn't black. He was gray," Wilder said. "They thought he was a black dog because, you know, the fire."
Still devastated by Creed's death, Wilder is worried about her family member getting help.
"He just walked past me, no emotions. His face was like — it was just like — nothing there, just walked past me while I'm screaming, crying," Wilder said. "I don't know what was going on in his mind to where he maybe felt he couldn't control himself."
She said she wants to see him punished but that he also gets mental health help.
The teen's attorney told WPTV he does not comment on active cases, but court records show they have requested a mental evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
As for Wilder, she's still taking it day by day.
"Creed slept in the bed with me, so it's like there's nobody there," Wilder said. "Coming home, there's nobody waiting on me. It's a big change."
She's trying to let years of good memories overpower the anger and grief from losing the dog who she said made her a dog lover.
"Everybody loved him," she said.
If convicted, the teen could face prison time.
He is due back in court later in April when the mental health evaluation could be discussed.