A Bushnell man was arrested after he was reportedly caught on video kicking his leashed dog in the head during a neighborhood walk.
Alfredo Jorge Hernandez, 27, is facing a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty following the incident, which occurred earlier this month.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to the area of Parkhill Avenue in Bushnell on June 10 regarding a complaint of animal cruelty. A witness reported seeing a man kick a pit bull mixed-breed dog while walking it through the neighborhood and provided video footage of the incident.
A review of the video evidence showed Hernandez intentionally kicking the dog in the head while attempting to force the animal to walk on its leash, the report stated.
Deputies tracked Hernandez to his residence at 310 W. Parkhill Ave., where they spoke with him and his father and confirmed he was the owner of the dog depicted in the video.
A criminal history check revealed Hernandez has two prior convictions for battery in Sumter County, one in February 2022 and another in May 2023.
Hernandez was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $1,000 bond.