Layza Pinero Resto
•9/16/2026
A Charlotte County man was arrested after deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office say he killed a puppy by hitting it over 20 times. CCSO says that deputies were initially made aware of this incident after surveillance footage was sent to a news organization. The footage showed the abuse and eventual death of a female puppy. Deputies responded to the tip on Sept. 13 and made contact with the friend of Neil Puterbaugh, 53. Puterbaugh's friend says that the puppy that Puterbaugh had died the same day she was brought home. Puterbaugh reportedly said that the dog had to go to "cleanse the house." When deputies spoke with Puterbaugh, he confirmed that there was a puppy in the house but that it had passed away. He said that the puppy was sick and that he never hit her. Video footage obtained by deputies reportedly shows Puterbaugh hitting the puppy around 25-30 times while she was still alive. At one point, deputies say the footage shows Puterbaugh dragging the puppy by her tail. Another witness says that the puppy was donated to Puterbaugh to help him deal with the death of his girlfriend. The witness was later notified by him that the puppy had died and was buried in the backyard of Puterbaugh's home. When deputies tried to make contact with Puterbaugh on Wednesday, he reportedly asked to speak with them. While speaking with deputies, he reportedly confessed to hitting the puppy. Puterbaugh was arrested and faces charges of cruelty to an animal by torture/inflicting pain, serious physical injury or death. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV
