The fight for the “Dexter Law” goes to Talahasi – Fox 13 Tampa

St. Petersburg, flag. – Animal activists insist on the Dexter Law in the forthcoming Florida legislative session in honor of Dexter, a dog found beheaded shortly after its adoption.

Last May, 66-year-old Domingo Rodriguez was accused of adopting Dexter by animal services at Pinellas County.

Mugshot of Domingo Rodriguez. With the kind assistance: PCSO.

According to court documents, four days later, Dexter’s beheaded body was found by Pinellas County MPs in a bag thrown into the water in Fort de Soto Park.

Watch: The man St. Pete, accused of killing the dog, pleads guilty

The story:

According to PCSO, the observation video shows that Rodriguez in the park with a cooler one day after the adoption of the 4-year-old dog.

Dexter’s microchip led MPs to Rodriguez, who denied everything.

Previous coverage: Man beheads the newly adopted dog discharges the body in Fort Desoto Park: PCSO

In court last August, Rodriguez admitted “not guilty”.

After numerous rallies “Justice for Dexter”, an activist now takes things to Talahasi.

Dig for a deeper:

Paralegal Deb Darino, based in the DEXTER, heads the Dexter Law.

“Dexter, they find his body, cut into a plastic bag, and his head is beheaded.

Darino stood behind Ponce’s law in 2018, a legislation that allows a judge to ban offenders convicted of aggravated animal abuse, a 3rd-grade crime, by possession of pets.

Read: Ponce law enhances penalties for animal abuse

It also increases the gravity of the crimes associated with animal abuse.

“The difference between Dexter’s law and Ponce’s law (is this) Ponce’s law is a really bad case of animal abuse, but Dexter is a terrifying case,” Darino said.

Dexter justice protesters.

Currently, Florida status states that if the offender is convicted of aggravated animal abuse as a major crime, the crime notes 28 points of the criminal penalty assessment.

Watch: Governor signs an animal abuse law

With Dexter’s law, if the crime is particularly horrifying, animals are treated as actual victims.

“We made the law of Dexter, where we can add a multiplier to it. What the multiplier does, which is 1.25 (multiplier), you multiply this (by) 28. Which is the criminal cruelty to the animals, the law of Ponce and this will You give you the points of Dexter, ”Darino said.

According to Dexter’s law, violators score 35 points at least. Forty -four points usually guarantee a prison time.

What they say:

The bill is sponsored in the Senate of Florida Senator Tom Leick (SB 502), and in the House by representative Linda Cheney (HB 255), which said the legislation was long overdue.

“We have to stop thinking,” Well, it’s just a dog. “We have to look at this as a cruel and disgusting behavior that we cannot have in our communities,” Chani said.

Entering the upcoming legislative session in March, Chani said he was feeling confident that the bill would receive support.

“Justice for Dexter” sign.

“I hope that my fellow legislators will not only see this as an animal protection bill, but also as a problem with public safety and I believe they will do it,” Chani said.

With the support of Darino, the State Senator and Representative Meg Weinberger also sponsored bills that would create a public database on the FDLE website of animal cruelty offenders.

“So, if you are convicted of animal cruelty, your name comes into the database. This is not a register. You don’t register and do nothing,” Darino said.

Read: Multiple animals seized by Frostproof Home, owner arrested: MPs

Darino continued: “Every day, the cruelty cruelty cruelty cruelty website in the FDLE website in a storage area. What we want them to do is put a link on their website and move these cases to this connection. “

Rodriguez is on the bond. The case is planned to pass in the coming weeks.

“If something happens and we do not like the way it is, we want to make sure that Dexter is never forgotten. His name will always be a law. We will always remember what happened to Dexter,” Darino said.

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