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St. Cloud, FL - A Florida man was arrested for allegedly shooting his neighbor's dog after claiming it attacked and decapitated his goat in St. Cloud.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred around 8:39 a.m. when a juvenile at a nearby residence heard gunshots and dog whimpering.
The boy then saw his neighbor, 39-year-old Kenneth Steinke, carrying what appeared to be a rifle.
The boy said he watched one of his dogs flee from Steinke and hide under the crawlspace of the house.
Steinke then left the area on a four-wheeler.
The boy's father arrived shortly after receiving a phone call from his son.
He found the dog hiding, bleeding from a gunshot wound to its right shoulder.
The dog was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Steinke later told investigators that he had been on the phone when he heard barking from his backyard.
He alleged that when he checked, he saw four dogs attacking his goat.
Steinke said he scared off the dogs but discovered that his goat had been decapitated.
He went to his neighbor’s house to alert someone, then called law enforcement while carrying what appeared to be a BB gun.
Steinke was arrested on animal cruelty charges and taken to the Osceola County Jail.