LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man is accused of stabbing his family's dog to death, and is currently in the Lee County Jail.
Deputies say 36-year-old Jason Lopez's family called for help, because he threatened to kill them and the dog at their house on First Street in Fort Myers.
When deputies got to the house, they say they found the dog stabbed in the throat.
Lopez is charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty.
Family members say that the dog was friendly and never showed signs of aggression.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lopez has been staying with family members in Fort Myers since his mother in New Jersey could not deal with his serious drug addiction.
Lopez’s stepmother told deputies that he began making threats to kill the dog and other family members on Wednesday. Lopez’s father removed his wife from the home, and returned to find the family dog dead.
“In this county, if you abuse an animal…if you abuse anyone…you’re absolutely going to jail,” stated Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
