A Florida man is accused of felony cruelty to animals for an attack on a service dog that resulted in the amputation of its tail.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a Facebook post that he personally walked James Cordell Doughy Suthann into jail following his arrest Monday. He was accompanied by Satellite Beach police Chief Jeff Pearson.
“If you harm an animal in Brevard County we will take your butt straight to jail!!” the sheriff stated in the post.
The incident occurred Feb. 6 at a grooming salon where Suthann worked. Ivey says Suthann was angry that an 8-year-old German Shepherd service dog wouldn’t stand during the grooming appointment. Video captured him grabbing the dog’s tail while swinging the animal off the ground and twisting the tail. Emergency surgery was required.
Ivey says the video is so graphic he won’t post it. The dog is owned by a disabled veteran.
Bail was set at $2,000.
“Unfortunately, the maximum bond that could be placed on Suthann was $2,000.00, because they don’t let me personally set the bond amounts for criminals like this guy!!” Ivey said in the post.