The man charged with animal cruelty after a dog was found decapitated in Fort DeSoto Park in 2024 has been found guilty.
In May 2024, Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the East Beach at Fort DeSoto Park on May 14 after people reported a dead dog wrapped in a plastic bag. When they arrived, they found the dog with its head decapitated and floating.
The dog was identified as a 4-year-old named Dexter. Deputies said Domingo Rodriguez, 68, adopted Dexter from Pinellas Animal Services on May 10, just four days before the body was found.
Within the past year, a new law, Dexter's Law, went into effect, requiring the creation of Florida's first statewide public database of people found guilty of animal cruelty.
The database allows animal shelters and the public to check if someone has been convicted of animal abuse. As of July 1, 2025, it imposes longer sentences in aggravated animal abuse cases, making it more likely that someone convicted could go to prison.
Rodriguez was found guilty of cruelty to animals and unlawful disposal of bodies of dead animals. The judge rejected his appeal, and he is ordered to serve the remainder of his 364-day sentence.
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