The push for ‘Dexter’s Regulation’ within the state
FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis experiences on the push for ‘Dexter’s Regulation,’ which goals to extend punishment in animal cruelty circumstances. The proposed legislation is known as after a canine named Dexter, who was discovered decapitated in a Pinellas County park shortly after being adopted.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Animal activists are pushing for ‘Dexter’s Regulation’ within the upcoming Florida legislative session in honor of Dexter, a canine discovered decapitated shortly after it was adopted.
Final Might, 66-year-old Domingo Rodriguez was accused of adopting Dexter from Pinellas County Animal Providers.
Mugshot of Domingo Rodriguez. Courtesy: PCSO.
Based on court docket paperwork, 4 days later, Dexter’s decapitated physique was discovered by Pinellas County deputies in a bag, dumped within the water at Fort De Soto Park.
WATCH: St. Pete man accused of killing canine pleads not responsible
The backstory:
Based on PCSO, surveillance video confirmed Rodriguez on the park with a cooler at some point after the 4-year-old canine was adopted.
Dexter’s microchip led deputies to Rodriguez, who denied every part.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man decapitates newly adopted canine, dumps physique in Fort DeSoto Park: PCSO
In court docket final August, Rodriguez pleaded ‘Not Responsible.’
After a number of ‘Justice for Dexter’ rallies, one activist is now taking issues to Tallahassee.
Dig deeper:
Daytona-based paralegal Deb Darino is spearheading ‘Dexter’s Regulation.’
“Dexter, they discover his physique reduce up in a plastic bag, and his head has been decapitated. Like, who does that? Actually sick folks try this,” Darino mentioned.
Darino was behind Ponce’s Regulation in 2018, laws that enables a choose to bar offenders convicted of Aggravated Animal Abuse, a Third-degree felony, from proudly owning pets.
READ: Ponce’s Regulation toughens animal abuse penalties
It additionally will increase the severity rating of animal abuse-related crimes.
“The distinction between Dexter’s Regulation and Ponce’s Regulation (is that) Ponce’s Regulation is a extremely dangerous animal abuse case, however Dexter’s is a horrific case,” Darino mentioned.
‘Justice for Dexter’ protesters.
Proper now, the Florida Statute states if an offender is convicted of Aggravated Animal Abuse towards a home animal as the first offense, the offense scores 28 factors on the prison punishment scoresheet.
WATCH: Governor indicators animal abuse legislation
With Dexter’s Regulation, if the crime is particularly horrific, animals are handled as precise victims.
“We made Dexter’s Regulation the place we might 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 factors, Ponce’s Regulation, and that gives you Dexter’s factors,” Darino mentioned.
Underneath Dexter’s Regulation, offenders rating 35 factors at minimal. Forty-four factors usually assure jail time.
What they’re saying:
The invoice is being sponsored within the Senate by Florida State Senator Tom Leek (SB 502) and within the Home by Consultant Linda Chaney (HB 255), who mentioned the laws is lengthy overdue.
“We’ve got to cease considering, ‘Nicely, it is only a canine.’ We’ve got to take a look at this as merciless and abhorrent habits that we will not have in our communities,” Chaney mentioned.
Going into the upcoming March legislative session, Chaney mentioned she feels assured the invoice will garner help.
‘Justice for Dexter’ signal.
“I am hoping that my fellow legislators is not going to solely see this as an animal safety invoice however as a public security difficulty, and I consider that they may,” Chaney mentioned.
With help from Darino, State Senator Leek and Consultant Meg Weinberger are additionally sponsoring payments that might create a public database on the FDLE web site of animal cruelty offenders.
“So, should you’re convicted of animal cruelty, your title goes into the database. It isn’t a registry. You are not signing up, and you are not doing something,” Darino mentioned.
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Darino continued, “On daily basis, the Clerk of Courts data for Animal Cruelty go to the FDLE web site in a storage space. What we would like them to do is put a hyperlink on their web site and transfer these circumstances over to that hyperlink.”
Rodriguez is out on bond. The case is slated to go to trial within the coming weeks.
“If one thing occurs, and we do not like the best way it finally ends up, we wish to be sure Dexter isn’t forgotten. His title will all the time be a legislation. We’ll all the time bear in mind what occurred to Dexter,” Darino mentioned.
For extra data, click on right here.
The Supply: FOX 13’s Jennifier Kveglis collected the data for this story.
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