PORT ST. LUCIE — A 31-year-old man was arrested about 10 a.m. Monday on animal cruelty charges for allegedly dragging a dog nearly 2 miles behind his pickup truck.

According to Port St. Lucie Police Department reports, Napoleon Davis, who told police he was homeless and living with a brother in the 1500 block of Iffla Avenue, said he was taking the dog to the Humane Society of St. Lucie County because his relatives would no longer take care of it.

Tom Nichols, public information officer with the Port St. Lucie Police Department, said the cab of Davis’ truck “was full of stuff, and rather than clean it up and put the dog up there where it belonged, he put it in the back (of the truck),” tying the dog to a post in the truck bed with a 15-foot leash.
(more…)

VERO LAKE ESTATES — An 8-foot-long Burmese python was found and captured Tuesday night, this one weighing between 40 and 50 pounds, officials said.

A resident found the snake, believed to have either escaped from a home or released into the wild by its owner, and called authorities.

The snake is being held at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
(more…)