Cocoa man accused of torturing puppies, leaving them in dumpster

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Cocoa man was arrested on Tuesday after deputies said he abused two puppies before leaving them in a dumpster.

According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, 29-year-old Dallas Singletary was seen kicking and torturing two dogs, named Bandit and Turd, at around 6:54 p.m. on Feb. 10.

Witnesses told investigators that they saw Singletary lift the two dogs by their leashes and scream “I (expletive) hate you” before ultimately discarding them in a nearby dumpster, deputies said.

An affidavit shows that Singletary had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend and drove to her workplace in Melbourne. Still upset and under the influence of narcotics “shards,” Singletary — who had the two dogs with him — became paranoid that the police were after him, and so he discarded the two puppies in the dumpster, the affidavit says.

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Deputies said that Animal Services eventually arrived and found the dogs huddled together in the bottom of the dumpster without food or water, and the two dogs were immediately taken in for treatment.

Investigators said they later discovered that Singletary owned Turd and was caring for Bandit for a friend over the past week for “breeding purposes,” though his girlfriend was on active probation for animal cruelty and was not allowed to live in a residence that owned pets.

Deputies said that on Tuesday, Singletary turned himself into BCSO. The Florida Sheriff’s Association then announced the arrest on social media.

Singletary faces two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of animal abandonment. He is held on $2,000 bond.

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