Man Drowns His Dog in Front of Beachgoers Because It Had Fleas: Police

Beachgoers watched in horror as, according to their statements to police, a man pulled his golden Labrador retriever into the surf at an Alabama beach and held the dog under water for roughly three minutes, because, the suspect later told officers, it had fleas.

Two witnesses who said they saw the dog's death at a Dauphin Island beach told police that they confronted the owner before calling 911, according to local news outlet WPMI. Dauphin Island Police Department (DIPD) officers responded to a call at roughly 2 p.m. Monday about a dog being abused near the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, on the east side of the Mobile Bay island, the outlet reported.

Shawn Taulbee, 54, of Theodore, Alabama, was taken into custody shortly after the incident. He has been charged with one count of first-degree cruelty to a dog, a felony, according to local news outlet WPMI. He was booked at Mobile County Metro Jail and released on Monday after posting a $3,000 bond.

Newsweek has reached out via email and social media to DIPD and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office for comment.

Jeremy Castile, DIPD detective, provided details in an interview with WPMI, sharing an account from the two witnesses who told police that they confronted Taulbee after the incident.

The pair said that after drowning the dog, Taulbee showed "no remorse" and was "kind of emotionless at the time," Castile said.

Bystanders told police they saw a man, later identified as Taulbee, walking with a golden Lab on Monday afternoon from the Audubon Bird Sanctuary parking lot to the boardwalk over the dunes on the Gulf of Mexico beach.

Police said the witnesses told officers that Taulbee tied a rope around the dog's neck as a "makeshift leash" as he and the Lab reached the shoreline, before walking into the water. He then, according to witness statements given to police, used the rope to drag his dog into the surf before ultimately holding the pet under water for several minutes, WPMI reported.

"The dog went under water for about three minutes," Castile told the outlet. "When they walked up, the two witnesses were standing over the dog, and a couple of other individuals was hollering at him."