Florida Man Arrested After Puppy's Deadly Abuse

National News - On September 15, 2026, at approximately 8 p.m., members of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office STAR (Strategic Targeted Area Response) Unit arrested a Punta Gorda man at his residence on felony charges.

Neil R. Puterbaugh, 53, faces a charge of Aggravated Animal Cruelty and a Violation of Probation.

The case began on September 13, 2026, when detectives received a crime tip from a local news outlet. The tip included a video showing Puterbaugh repeatedly and forcefully striking his six-week-old puppy.

The abuse continued until the puppy died, and Puterbaugh then disposed of the animal's body.

Over the next two days, detectives worked to obtain the video and build their case. Their investigation established probable cause to arrest Puterbaugh on the felony charge.

Once he was taken into custody, Puterbaugh was transported to the District 4 office for an interview. During that interview, he admitted to striking the dog and said he went too far.

Detectives also recovered several additional videos from his residence showing more acts of abuse against the puppy.

Puterbaugh was booked into the Charlotte County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.

Sheriff Bill Prummell released the following statement on the case:
"My heart hurts for what this sweet puppy endured. There is no excuse for abuse of this kind, and I believe the only word to describe it is 'evil'. Thank you to the person who reported this, and to our media partner who shared it with us to investigate. I wish we could have known sooner so that maybe we could have prevented this terrible outcome. I pray this puppy is now playing free for eternity in a world without pain and fear."

Disclosure: All individuals mentioned in this article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Eastern Shore Undercover® does not express or imply any opinion regarding the incident reported.