LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A 17-year-old boy is accused of killing his family’s dog with a katana-style sword and leaving its body in a wooded area behind their Lake County home over the weekend.
Deputies said the boy’s parents called to report suspected animal cruelty after the 17-year-old made “jokes/sarcastic comments” about taking the dog into the woods and killing it with a sword.
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According to an incident report, the boy’s stepfather said the teenager admitted to killing the dog after initially telling his mother that he’d given the dog away to a friend he went to school with.
When deputies searched the family’s home, they said they found a single katana-style sword in a sheath between the mattress and box spring of the boy’s bed. They said the sword had dried blood, and what looked to be animal hair on its blade.
Deputies said the dog’s body was found in the woods behind the home.
Investigators said the manner of the dog’s death qualified for charges of aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony.
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