Man Charged With Killing Family Dog
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BROOKSVILLE (CBSMiami/AP) — Authorities said a Tampa Bay area man is facing an animal cruelty charge after he allegedly beat his family's pet dachshund to death with a flashlight.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office reports that deputies responded to the Brooksville home Thursday night. One resident told deputies that his son, 23-year-old Justin Niederhelman, admitted to repeatedly striking the 7-year-old dog in the head with a flashlight. Niederhelman's father said the younger man attempted to hide the dog's body by wrapping it in a blanket and placing it in a bag of dog food outside.
Niederhelman was charged last month in a domestic violence case involving his father and was prohibited from having contact with him as a condition of his pre-trial release.
Niederhelman was being held without bond. Jail records didn't list an attorney.
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