NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is facing animal cruelty and other charges after investigators said he attacked and seriously wounded a dog with a machete.
An affidavit by a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy says 46-year-old Richard Nelson injured the dog during a confrontation earlier this month outside a New Smyrna Beach home.
Nelson is also charged with falsely telling deputies he acted in self-defense when the dog attacked him.
Court records show Nelson was arrested Friday and released on his own recognizance the next day. No attorney is listed to speak for Nelson, who authorities say has no fixed address.
