SWFL.io - Local NewsA Fort Myers woman is in custody on animal cruelty charges after Fort Myers police say she kicked a dog multiple times in the face during a confrontation with the dog's owner.
According to an arrest report, officers responded to a residence on Red Cedar Drive on Wednesday after calls of a physical altercation between two women. When officers arrived, they found two women, one of whom was Olga Dimant, 64.
When officers spoke with Dimant she reportedly told them that she saw the other woman and her dog walking outside. She said she noticed the dog didn't have a leash on and approached the woman to tell her that dogs have to be wearing leashes in the community.
Dimant said that she had her phone out to record the woman so that she could gather evidence proving that the dog was not on a leash. Dimant said the woman became aggressive, striking her in the face, making Dimant fall to the ground.
When officers spoke with the owner of the dog, she said she was taking her dog out to use the bathroom without a leash on. She said Dimant approached her with a phone in her hand and began to record her. The owner said Dimant told her her dog needed a leash, and she said she agreed and started to walk away. She said Dimant followed her while still recording.
The owner reportedly told officers that her dog then walked up to Dimant, causing Dimant to kick it in the face. The owner said Dimant kicked the dog twice. The owner said she grabbed her dog and left the area.
The report said Dimant continued to follow her. The owner said she briefly put the dog down and tried to enter her friend's apartment. When the dog approached Dimant again the owner says Dimant kicked it again in the face, this time resulting in a yelp of pain from the dog.
The owner said she grabbed the dog again, and that Dimant spit in the owner's face. The owner says she then slapped Dimant.
The report says the owner showed officers video of Dimant kicking her dog in the face. Witnesses on the scene told officers that they also saw Dimant kicking the dog, adding that throughout the confrontation the dog appeared to be friendly and non-aggressive.
Officers arrested Dimant. She faces an aggravated animal cruelty charge.
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