Lehigh Acres, FL – The man accused of putting an elderly, blind dog in a trash bag and discarding her in a dumpster has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree animal cruelty and one count of first-degree animal cruelty. As reported by the News-Press, 55-year-old Anthony Bellman pleaded guilty last week, and he will be sentenced on October 24.
The charges stem from Bellman’s cruel dumping of a 16-year-old Shih Tzu named Xyla. The senior dog had a rope around her neck when she was found in a dumpster behind a Lehigh Acres Family Dollar store. Had she not been found in time, Xyla would have suffocated in the trash bag Bellman placed her in before abandoning her in the dumpster.
Xyla’s original owner died, and Bellman took custody; he told family members he was taking the dog to be put down but threw her away instead.
Bellman faces up to five years behind bars for one of his charges, and up to a year for the other. Xyla survived the cruel abandonment and is said to be “recovering” from her injuries.
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