Man arrested after beating a small dog to death with a tile scraper, cops say

A Venice man is facing multiple animal abuse charges after the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said he hit a dog several times with a scraper, killing the chihuahua.

Deputies were called Saturday to a home where they were met by a woman shaking and crying in the driveway. She told deputies Aaron Merwine had killed a chihuahua she was taking care of named Lucky with a tile scraper, then threatened to kill her with the same scraper, according to a probable cause affidavit.

A woman told deputies she saw Merwine hit the dog five times with the scraper.

An Animal Services officer came to the home and confirmed the dog was dead. The officer said a necropsy would be performed to determine the cause of death and determine other injuries, the affidavit noted.

Deputies spoke to Merwine, who “appeared under the influence of unknown intoxicant,” according to the affidavit. Merwine put his hands up in what deputies thought was an attempt to grab or push and placed Merwine in handcuffs.

Merwine told deputies after being read his rights that there was a “strong magnetic force between him and the dog and the dog had to go,” the affidavit said.

A neighbor stood nearby with the scraper and handed it to deputies, who noted it still had dog fur and blood on it, according to the affidavit.

Merwine was arrested and taken to the Sarasota County jail without incident. He faces five counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, according to the sheriff’s office.