Deputies say Golden Gate Estates man severely beat his dog

A Golden Gate Estates man has been arrested and accused of severely beating his dog named Diesel.

David Grant Harper, 29, faces a charge of cruelty to animals.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two people contacted authorities on Feb. 15 after witnessing Harper beat his pit bull mix in the bathroom of his home.

According to an arrest report, two witnesses met up with deputies at a 7-Eleven near the home and said they heard the animal yelping.

Sheli Burton, who lives nearby, said her son heard the same.

“My son did tell me this morning that he heard some dogs yelping the other day or something like that,” she said.

Burton said she has seen the dog before because it plays in her yard.

She said she has asked Harper to keep his dog contained.

“They just kind of do their own thing,” she said.

Another neighbor told WINK News the dog has run away and he actually returned it to the home.

The witnesses said they could hear banging and the sound of a dog yelping for close to an hour.

Harper denied beating his dog but said he disciplined him.

Deputies found bloodstains in the bathroom and an exam on Diesel found new and old bruises throughout the dog’s body.

A veterinarian determined Diesel suffered “intentional, non-accidental acts of blunt force trauma consistent with unnecessary and repeated suffering and cruelty,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities also found a video of Harber beating his dog. He also whipped Diesel with a leash.

Diesel is being cared for at a secure location.

Harper faced a judge on Tuesday and had his bond set at $7,500.

On Wednesday, four vehicles were parked at the home, but no one answered the door when WINK News knocked.

Someone who lives at the home but wasn’t there at the time of the incident said people have been driving by the house and called them animal abusers.