ST. PETERSBURG — A Florida man faces multiple felony charges after deputies say he threw a 3-year-old pit bull off a second-floor balcony while attempting to lure a 15-year-old girl into a bedroom.
Nigel Myers, 44, was arrested Monday evening in unincorporated St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a residence around 7:10 p.m. following reports of animal abuse and lewd conduct.
Investigators said Myers followed the teen into a bedroom earlier that day. The girl left the room, but Myers trailed her to the living room and tried to coax her back. That’s when the dog, named Sparta, stepped in protectively and jumped on Myers.
Myers allegedly grabbed the pit bull and threw the animal against the top of a dog crate before picking it up by the hind legs and tossing it over the balcony railing. The dog suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby animal hospital, where veterinarians expect it to survive.
Myers, 44, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on charges of aggravated animal cruelty, domestic battery, child abuse and lewd and lascivious conduct. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains ongoing, and details about the victim are being withheld under state law to protect her identity.
Deputies did not release additional information about Myers’ relationship to the girl or the home’s occupants.
