Dog at center of horrific animal abuse case in Pensacola has been found

Escambia County Animal Welfare officers have located and rescued the abused dog that was at the center of a viral video in March.

Charles David Thornton II, 49, was arrested March 27 and charged with cruelty toward an animal after a video of him taken by a neighbor’s security camera showing a man beating the animal was widely circulated on social media.

The video shows a man striking a dog repeatedly with a bat or rod-like object, and dragging the dog by its hind leg as it cowers and tries to get away.

While Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Thornton II, the dog was not on the property in the 1500 block of North Y Street when they arrived.

Dog abuse: Pensacola man arrested after video of dog abuse goes viral

Nearly a month later, Animal Welfare officers were responding to a wildlife rescue call on April 23 when they noticed the dog tied to a light pole. The officers were ultimately able to confirm that it was the dog they had been searching for as part of an animal cruelty investigation initiated in coordination with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

“We never gave up looking for the dog,” said Lead Animal Welfare Officer Sgt. Merideth Roberson, who received the video from a concerned citizen. “Every time we would go out on patrol, we would always look for the dog. There was always hope that the dog would turn up some day.”

When Roberson and Sgt. Mackenzie Hamel were headed to wildlife calls early in the afternoon on April 23, they noticed two dogs tied to a light pole on Mobile Highway.

“When we got closer, we looked at each other and thought, ‘That looks like the dog,’” Roberson said. “As we got closer, we became convinced that it was the dog. We saw the body camera footage but that was all we had to go off of.”

Once the dog was safely in the back of their truck, Roberson and Hamel examined the body camera footage to try and get a match for the dog.

“Once we saw the chest pattern, we knew one thousand percent that it was the dog,” Roberson said. “The color of the dog’s fur, the black muzzle, everything looked exactly like it did in the body camera footage.”

The neighbors who originally recorded the video also positively identified the dog, confirming what Roberson and Hamel suspected.

The dog, whose name is Tupac, is a mixed breed and estimated to be about two or three years old. Despite what he has been through, Roberson said Tupac appears to be in good spirits. Tupac will be evaluated by Escambia County Animal Welfare’s veterinarian and will remain in the care of Animal Welfare staff before determining his eligibility for adoption.

Escambia County Animal Welfare Director John Robinson said this rescue is another one of many examples of his team’s dedication to helping animals each day.

“Our officers are passionate about what we do, and we’re always working toward helping the animals in our community,” Robinson said. “I’m glad that our work with the Sheriff’s Office has led to charges and one less animal cruelty case in our community. Without their body camera footage, we would never have been able to identify the dog. I look forward to continuing our partnership and bringing these animal cruelty cases to justice.”

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