Man accused of fatally dragging puppy with truck may face 2 counts of animal cruelty

Reporter: Jolena Esperto Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
James Albert Hayles, 44. Credit: DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office

A man accused of dragging a puppy to death behind his truck confessed to DeSoto County deputies that he had been driving with a suspended license.

Charlotte County Animal Control said it is fully prepared to charge 44-year-old James Albert Hayles with two counts of animal cruelty. However, it has to go through the State Attorney’s Office first, to determine if he acted with intent.

Hayles was arrested on Sunday for an active warrant out of Charlotte County for driving with a suspended license.

A DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a call from Little Willie’s RV Park about a suspicious vehicle. Coincidentally, the vehicle also matched the description of the vehicle the sheriff’s office was searching for that was caught on video dragging a puppy up Durant Street in Port Charlotte.

When the deputy interviewed Hayles, they said he confessed. Charlotte County Animal Control has forwarded the animal cruelty case to the State Attorney’s Office, requesting he be charged with two counts of animal cruelty.

One count would be for the unnecessary suffering of the 6-month-old red-brown Catahoula mix puppy named Diesel, another count for illegally disposing of the puppy’s body, which has not been found.

WINK News spoke with Charlotte County Animal Control employee Brian Jones and Jamie Boyle, a witness to the alleged crime.

“There’s a process to this, once the case package gets submitted, to the state attorney’s office. At that point, the case will be reviewed to determine if we’ve gathered enough evidence to support the allegations that we brought against somebody. We feel confident that we have, if the state agrees with us, then from that point on, they would probably request a warrant for that person’s arrest, which they would be formally charged, and then we would just take it from there,” Jones said.

“That dog was only a 6-month-old puppy,” Boyle said. “I mean, that just … you know, when they’re young, they can’t keep up. Then, like the neighbor said, with the bloody paw prints and stuff. I mean, it’s, it’s horrific. It’s just freaking horrific.”

Animal Control does believe it was not intentional, just a complete act of negligence and an accident.

Hayles is currently out of jail on bond for the license arrest.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.