Gainesville Man Arrested for Felony Animal Cruelty, Released on Recognizance
Austin Kyle Love, 32, was arrested on March 31 and charged with felony animal cruelty.
Gainesville Police Department Officer Carl Leibrandt reviewed Ring camera surveillance footage that showed Love yanking the dog out of his house by its legs. Love then picked up the dog by the neck and began strangling it. Love reportedly carried the dog down the stairs while calling it a “bitch-ass fuck boy.” Love then threw the dog on the concrete and began hitting it on the head.
Love reportedly flicked off the Ring doorbell camera after physically abusing the dog.
Love’s neighbor told Leibrandt she has witnessed Love beat the dog with a stick on multiple occasions.
Leibrandt reported, “[Love] first agreed to speak with me over the phone and admitted to hitting his dog because it peed on his floor. While under arrest, [Love] made multiple spontaneous statements admitting to hitting and striking the dog because he was mad and was late for work. Animal control responded to take ownership of the dog and assess for possible internal injuries”
Judge Menshon Rawls ordered Love to be released on recognizance under the condition he not possess any animals.
Alachua County Animal Resources Director Julie Johnson told WUFT that “the county is investigating” and that “no information on the dog [can] be released while the investigation is ongoing.”
