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CLEARWATER, Fla. — Demonstrators in Pinellas County are showing solidarity for a dog that was killed and disposed of in Fort De Soto Park.
This comes as the person accused of killing the dog was in court to address charges related to suppressing evidence for a search warrant of his phone.
A large group rallied outside the justice center, still in shock over what happened to the four-year-old dog, Dexter.
“I could not believe that someone would actually do that to one of our sweet pups,” said Amy Benoni, a volunteer at Pinellas County Animal Services.
According to Benoni, for a few months, the place she volunteers was Dexter’s home too.
“We know Dexter as a loving little pup that wanted his belly rubs and snuggles,” she said. “And our goal is to get every dog adopted from the shelter and its forever home.”
But, as she puts it, this forever home ended in a tragedy.
Dexter was adopted back in May, according to court documents, by Domingo Rodriguez.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says the day after his adoption, Dexter was found beheaded in the mangroves of Fort De Soto Park.
As a result, law enforcement arrested Rodriguez, claiming he was responsible.
“We are not going to stand for animal cruelty,” said Amber Szedlar, another volunteer at Pinellas County Animal Services.
Szedlar and Benoni were two of the dozens of people taking part in Monday afternoon’s demonstration, which had several volunteers and concerned folks looking for a resolution to this horrific incident.
“We’re hoping that our shirts make the statement of what we’re here for, and that’s for Dexter,” Szedlar said. “And to preserve his memory.”
Part of that preservation, for them, was going into court Monday afternoon with dozens of other demonstrators to hear arguments from both sides on whether Rodriguez’s cell phone should be allowed to be searched.
“We want that to be considered in this case,” Benoni said. “We want justice for Dexter.”
Two hours before the hearing, the crowd was lining the sidewalk outside the county justice center.
Online, over 60,000 people have signed a petition in support of Dexter with another 20,000-signature petition circulating too.
“It is really a good, heartfelt feeling that we have this much support,” Benoni said.
According to Szedlar, this won’t be the last time they demonstrate, with a lengthy legal process to come, she says this is just the beginning.
“We’re also in this for the long haul,” she said. “This is our first rally, right? This has been the very first hearing in this in this process. We are not going anywhere.”
Following Monday’s hearing, the judge denied the defense’s motion to limit how Rodriguez’s phone can be searched.
Rodriguez is charged with one count of animal cruelty and one count of the disposal of a body of a dead animal.
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Nick Popham
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