Bradenton man hung a dog from a tree for barking, cops say. He then went after a child

A 38-year-old Manatee County man is charged with animal cruelty and child abuse after he killed someone else’s dog for barking and then beat up a child who wouldn’t help him hide the dog’s remains, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Robert Leroy Edwards took an electrical cord on Wednesday night, tied it around the dog’s neck and hung it from a tree until it was dead because the dog was barking.

The location of the crime was redacted from the arrest report, but friends of the family said Edwards was staying with the family in Myakka City.

After killing the dog, Edwards walked into the house and woke up an unidentified minor to help him hide the dog’s remains, but the minor refused to help, the report states. Deputies say Edwards punched the individual in the face.

According to the report, another person in the house heard the commotion and upon seeing the dead dog, began arguing with Edwards, who then struck the second victim in the face “numerous times.”

Edwards was arrested shortly after 3 a.m. on Wednesday and booked into the Manatee County jail on charges of felony child abuse, battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and felony torture, inflicting serious pain resulting in death of an animal.

Edwards is being held without bond at the Manatee County jail.

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 9:52 AM.