CLERMONT, Florida—A 17-year-old boy with a “history of violence” is accused of killing the family dog with a sword Saturday and leaving it in the woods near his house.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in unincorporated Clermont over the weekend on a report that Avery Featherston, 17, had killed the family dog with a sword and buried it in the woods. Deputies found a sword in the boy’s bedroom that still had animal hair on it, according to an arrest affidavit. The boy’s stepfather showed deputies where he believed the dog may be and they found the dog dead approximately 20 to 30 yards into the woods.
The dog appeared to have been tied to a tree and had multiple lacerations; the dog was also missing part of its face, the affidavit states. “The body of the dog showed it was a very cruel and inhumane death,” the arresting deputy noted.
The boy’s family members told LCSO the boy has a history of violence and they were scared for the safety of other animals and small children in the home.
Featherton was arrested on a charge of animal cruelty.
