Fight for 'Dexter's Law' heads to Tallahassee
The push for 'Dexter's Law' in the state
FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports on the push for 'Dexter's Law,' which aims to increase punishment in animal cruelty cases. The proposed law is named after a dog named Dexter, who was found decapitated in a Pinellas County park shortly after being adopted.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Animal activists are pushing for 'Dexter's Law' in the upcoming Florida legislative session in honor of Dexter, a dog found decapitated shortly after it was adopted.
Last May, Pinellas County deputies said Domingo Rodriguez, 66, adopted Dexter from Pinellas County Animal Services.
Mugshot of Domingo Rodriguez. Courtesy: PCSO.
According to court documents, four days later, Dexter's decapitated body was found by Pinellas County deputies in a bag, dumped in the water at Fort De Soto Park.
WATCH: St. Pete man accused of killing dog pleads not guilty
The backstory:
According to PCSO, surveillance video showed Rodriguez at the park with a cooler one day after the 4-year-old dog was adopted.
Dexter's microchip led deputies to Rodriguez, who denied everything.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man decapitates newly adopted dog, dumps body in Fort DeSoto Park: PCSO
In court last August, Rodriguez pleaded 'Not Guilty.’
After multiple 'Justice for Dexter' rallies, one activist is now taking things to Tallahassee.
Dig deeper:
Daytona-based paralegal Deb Darino is spearheading 'Dexter's Law.'
"Dexter, they find his body cut up in a plastic bag, and his head has been decapitated. Like, who does that? Really sick people do that," Darino said.
Darino was behind Ponce's Law in 2018, legislation that allows a judge to bar offenders convicted of Aggravated Animal Abuse, a 3rd-degree felony, from owning pets.
PREVIOUS: Ponce's Law toughens animal abuse penalties
It also increases the severity ranking of animal abuse-related crimes.
"The difference between Dexter's Law and Ponce's Law (is that) Ponce's Law is a really bad animal abuse case, but Dexter's is a horrific case," Darino said.
'Justice for Dexter' protesters.
Right now, the Florida Statute states if an offender is convicted of aggravated animal abuse toward a domestic animal as the primary offense, the offense scores 28 points on the criminal punishment scoresheet.
WATCH: Governor signs animal abuse law
With Dexter's Law, if the crime is especially horrific, animals are treated as actual victims.
"We made Dexter's Law where we could add a multiplier into it. What the multiplier does, which is a 1.25 (multiplier), you multiply that (by) 28. Which is the felony animal cruelty points, Ponce's Law, and that will give you Dexter's points," Darino said.
Under Dexter's Law, offenders score 35 points at minimum. Forty-four points typically guarantee prison time.
What they're saying:
The bill is being sponsored in the Senate by Florida State Senator Tom Leek (SB 502) and in the House by Representative Linda Chaney (HB 255), who said the legislation is long overdue.
"We have to stop thinking, 'Well, it's just a dog.' We have to look at this as cruel and abhorrent behavior that we can't have in our communities," Chaney said.
Going into the upcoming March legislative session, Chaney said she feels confident the bill will garner support.
'Justice for Dexter' sign.
"I'm hoping that my fellow legislators will not only see this as an animal protection bill but as a public safety issue, and I believe that they will," Chaney said.
With support from Darino, State Senator Leek and Representative Meg Weinberger are also sponsoring bills that would create a public database on the FDLE website of animal cruelty offenders.
"So, if you're convicted of animal cruelty, your name goes into the database. It's not a registry. You're not signing up, and you're not doing anything," Darino said.
READ: Multiple animals seized from Frostproof home, owner arrested: Deputies
"Every day, the Clerk of Courts records for Animal Cruelty go to the FDLE website in a storage area," Darino said. "What we want them to do is put a link on their website and move those cases over to that link."
Rodriguez is out of jail on bond. The case is slated to go to trial in the coming weeks.
"If something happens, and we don't like the way it ends up, we want to make sure Dexter is never forgotten. His name will always be a law. We will always remember what happened to Dexter," Darino said.
For more information on Dexter's Law, click here.
The Source: FOX 13's Jennifier Kveglis collected the information for this story.
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