Shelley Nicole Vaughn Clearwater Beach Florida woman throws boyfriend, Eric Adeson’s dog over 7th floor balcony to its death during argument.
A Florida woman has been accused of throwing her boyfriend’s dog to its death from a seventh-floor Pinellas County balcony during a heated argument according to reports.
Eric Adeson, 56, said he was traumatized after watching his girlfriend of eight months smile before picking up and throwing his beloved 3-year-old pug, Bucky, off the balcony during a fight at his Clearwater Beach condominium early Sunday.
‘I was just screaming, I was horrified,’ Adeson told the nypost of the instant his dog went over the balcony. ‘I lost Bucky and I lost someone I cared about. There’s just so much tragedy in this story.’
Adeson claimed his girlfriend, Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, who lives two floors below him, had been drinking, using prescription drugs and smoking marijuana prior to throwing his cellphone and keys over the balcony before picking up Bucky when he demanded that she leave.
‘A part of me was thinking, ‘Is there any way he’s still alive?’’ Adeson told the tabloid after watching the dog fly over the rails. ‘But the common sense in me said no way.’
‘These kinds of acts are unacceptable,’
Bucky landed on asphalt in the parking lot of Adeson’s building, but didn’t survive.
‘I’m in a state of shock over this whole thing,’ Adeson said.
Vaughn now faces charges of felony animal cruelty in Bucky’s death, criminal mischief and domestic battery, WTVT reported. She remained in custody early Tuesday, online records show.
Adeson said he got Bucky in 2019 as a companion dog to his 13-year-old puggle, Sandy, as the elder animal underwent cancer treatment. The other dog was not harmed during Sunday’s attack, he said.
Adeson has also filed a civil suit against Vaughn, whom he obtained a restraining order against hours before the attack.
‘We felt it necessary to do something big and loud to scream to the community that these kinds of acts are unacceptable,’ Adeson’s attorney, Katherine Neal, told WTVT.
Adeson’s civil suit seeks $30,000 in damages, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
‘Animal never met any person or dog he didn’t love.’
Adeson, who works as a math and SAT tutor, said he contacted an attorney after cops didn’t arrest Vaughn until 24 hours after Sunday’s attack. She was taken into custody Monday afternoon, he said.
Vaughn had gotten aggressive and physical with Adeson before, he claimed, including during a September incident in Atlanta when she allegedly hit him. Adeson at the time declined to press charges, he said.
‘The combination of Xanax, marijuana and alcohol makes her snap,’ Adeson said of the woman he loves. ‘She just goes crazy.’
Adeson said his relationship with Vaughn is over and he’s now focused on getting justice for Bucky. Any damages he receives from his civil suit will likely be donated to animal welfare advocates, he said.
‘This is not about anything other than Bucky or bringing her to justice and looking to get her the help she needs,’ Adeson said of his civil suit. ‘Her life will never be the same.’
Adeson said Vaughn is ‘going through a tough time’ due to the deteriorating health of her mother, who is battling cancer. She had never shown signs that she could hurt his dogs before, he said.
‘God no, she’s a former dog owner herself,’ Adeson said. ‘I cared about her and Bucky was the sweetest dog ever. He never met any person or dog he didn’t love.’
