Cop Poisoned, Killed Girlfriend’s Dog: Hillsborough County Sheriff

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL - A Bartow police officer was arrested Jan. 16 for poisoning and killing his girlfriend’s dog, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

When the victim left for a trip in May, her boyfriend, Edwin Campuzano, 22, left poison pellets in the food bowl of her 3-year-old Maltese Poodle because he didn’t like the dog, the agency said.

The dog died after eating the poison, and the leftover pellets were recovered from the bowl.

A store transaction showed that Campuzano purchased the poison with his debit card from a Tractor Supply store two days before the victim left town, HCSO said.

The dog’s death was reported to the sheriff’s office in December and an arrest warrant was obtained for Campuzano on Jan. 16.

He turned himself in later that day and was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

At the time of the dog’s poisoning, Campuzano was a full-time law enforcement officer with the Bartow Police Department. He is no longer employed by the agency.

“Those who wear the badge are held to a higher standard, and when someone falls short of that responsibility, it reflects a serious failure of the values we are sworn to uphold,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “This innocent animal deserved care and protection, and the trust placed in him as a partner makes this loss all the more senseless."

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