Florida Woman ‘Smiled’ As She Allegedly Threw Ex-Boyfriend's Dog From 7th Floor Balcony Before Arrest
She apparently smiled before throwing the dog.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office | YouTube | Fox 13 A Florida woman has been arrested after an alleged argument with her ex-boyfriend in his 7th floor condo turned turned deadly.
Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, is now facing felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty felony, criminal mischief and domestic battery, for the killing of her ex's 3-year-old pug, Bucky.
Shelley Nicole Vaughn was arrested after alleged throwing her ex's dog from the balcony.
According to the Clearwater Police Department, Vaughn had entered Eric Adeson's, 56, apartment and began tossing his things out off of the balcony.
"Detectives arrest Clearwater woman for throwing a 3-year-old pug to its death off seventh-floor condominium balcony on Clearwater Beach," the police department tweeted. "First, she tossed the cell phone and keys off the balcony belonging to the man she had been dating. She's on her way to jail this afternoon."
Adeson's attorney, Katherine Neal, said that the incident occured just before noon on Sunday when Vaughn showed up at her ex-boyfriend's seventh-floor home. Neal continued, saying that Vaughn appeared "to be drunk and impaired by substances," before getting into a disagreement with Adeson.
Neal has also filed a civil complaint against Vaughn, seeking $30,000 in damages.
The complaint says the couple had ended their relationship in February, but she had arrived at Adeson's condo on Sunday smelling of alcohol and being verbally aggressive toward him. Adeson asked her to leave, but she refused and instead picked up the dog and threw it over the balcony.
Adeson, who is in shock after the incident, told WTVT that Vaughn had "smiled" before throwing his dog from the balcony.
"I never thought anybody could do that," he said. "I never thought anybody would have that in them."
Adeson has first gotten Bucky as a puppy in 2019 to be a companion to his 13-year-old puggle, Sandy, who had been undergoing cancer treatments at the time.
After the alleged incident, Adeson said he immediately ran down to check on Bucky, hoping his dog would still be alive, but unfortunately, Bucky had died on impact.
"There is no justice. I mean, nothing's going to bring Bucky back," Adeson said.
Adeson claimed Vaughn had gotten aggressive and physical with him before, telling the New York Post that she had allegedly hit him in September when they were in Atlanta together.
"The combination of Xanax, marijuana and alcohol makes her snap," he told the news outlet. "She just goes crazy."
Vaughn had been “going through a tough time” due to the deteriorating health of her mother, who is battling cancer. However, she had never shown signs that she was capable of hurting her ex-boyfriend's dogs, according to Adeson.
According to Neal, Vaughn was arraigned Tuesday morning and her bail was set at $22,000. She was ordered to surrender all weapons and wear a continuous alcohol monitoring (CAM) device on her ankle around the clock.
Any damages that Adeson receives from the civil suit he has opened against his former partner will be donated to animal welfare advocates.
"Never thinking in a million-years that Sandy would survive the cancer and still be alive at 13 and actually outlive Bucky. That's the tragedy of it," Adeson told Fox 13.
If you or someone you know is a domestic violence survivor, please reach out for help. You never deserved the abuse you faced — you deserve love, peace, and happiness.
Please call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline any time of day at 1−800−799−7233.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.