BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A Florida gay porn actor accused of beating and choking his pet dog to death has been arrested on an animal cruelty charge, authorities said.
Shane Thompson, 20, also known by his stage name Jason Creed, took the dead animal to an animal clinic in Boca Raton to have it cremated and told workers the wolf-dog mix had died, possibly from a seizure, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Thursday.
But a veterinarian examined the three-legged dog named Moonshine and said the dog had a bloody nose, bruised ears and probably was choked to death.
The same day, a friend of Thompson's contacted Palm Beach County Animal Control and said he thought Thompson had killed his pet.
"Our investigators spent lots of hours trying to find that dog," animal control Capt. Dave Walesky said.
The dog was eventually located at the animal clinic and authorities demanded the staff release its body. A necropsy confirmed the dog had been fatally abused, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Animal control investigators had been called to Thompson's apartment twice since Thompson and his roommate got the dog as a puppy. They had received complaints that the puppy was heard yelping in pain, but Thompson got off with a warning since the animal did not seem to be hurt or frightened, Walesky said.
"There are a lot of people who are heavy-handed, but that's not a reason to take their dog away. We can do something if the dog is hurt or terrified of someone," he said.
