Man arrested for beating dog, attacking witness in North Fort Myers

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla.- A dog was kicked and beaten along a busy Lee County Road.

Glen Yerkey is now facing animal cruelty charges. A man who witnessed the beating along Pine Island Road, rushed to help the dog.

“I hope he gets locked up and doesn’t get to be out ever again,” said Robert Horn.

Strong words from a man who says he was in the right place at the right time.

“I seen this dude on the side of the street, he was kicking the living crap out of his dog,” said Horn.

Horn says he was shocked to see the man kicking his pet on the side of a busy road.

“He had the dog strapped to the wagon and just because the dog wouldn’t pull the wagon for him, he started kicking it and beating it.”

Yerkey told Lee County deputies he was trying to teach the dog to “mush” and was disciplining the dog the way trainers told him too.

“He was like a football, he had the dog flying in the air and kicking the heck out of it,” Horn told WINK News.

But, the situation took an unexpected turn.

“We asked him, what the heck is he doing? He starts flipping us off and cussing at us, and he reaches into my car and starts punching the heck out of me.”

Horn says if he didn’t stop the beating, the dog would probably not have lived.

“I know my nose is hurting where he hit me, but other than that I felt bad for the dog,” said Horn.

The dog was sent to a veterinarian for injuries to its paw and possible fractured ribs. WINK News called Animal Control to check on the dog. We were told it is in good condition.