He chained his dog to a golf cart, police say – and then did the unthinkable
A North Florida man was arrested after police say he chained his dog to a golf cart and dragged it down the street.
Dean Woodyatt, 79, was charged with animal cruelty and resisting arrest.
Fort Walton Beach police received reports Saturday afternoon of a man driving a red golf cart with a German Shepherd attached, according to the arrest report. When officers arrived, they found Woodyatt kneeling beside a dog that had collapsed on the sidewalk from exhaustion. The canine also had several injuries to each of its paws.
Several Good Samaritans were trying to administer aid to the German Shepherd. But Woodyatt prevented the treatment and even attempted to climb back into the golf cart and leave with his dog still attached, police say.
Officers ordered the the man, who was holding a leash, to drop it but said he refused. That’s when things got physical.
“Officers had to pry the chain out of Woodyatt’s hands and attempted to take Woodyatt into custody, to which he physically resisted by holding onto the golf cart,” the report reads.
Police later learned Woodyatt had continued to drive despite witnesses who honked and yelled at him about his ailing dog before officers arrived. He only stopped after one person chased him down, according to the report.
It’s unclear how far Woodyatt traveled. The dog later died from “heat related issues,” police say.
Arrest records show Woodyatt was released on his own recognizance Tuesday afternoon.
