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Man Jailed In Dog's Stabbing

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By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

HUDSON - A man accused of stabbing his roommate's dog three times with a hunting knife faces an animal-cruelty charge, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported Tuesday.

Jeremy Daniel Rehnert, 35, of 13412 Grandville Ave., Hudson, also threatened his roommate and faces an aggravated-assault charge, deputies said.

Rehnert told deputies he stabbed the dog, but said he was acting in self-defense against an animal that had attacked him before and appeared poised to do so again, the arrest report states.

The brown-and-white dog, Charlie, survived.

Rehnert and his roommate, Ernest Perkins, 49, gave a deputy slightly different versions of what happened in their home about 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Perkins said Rehnert had left the house earlier in the evening, saying he planned to kill Charlie when he returned, the report states.

When Rehnert came back, Perkins was in his bedroom with Charlie and his other dog, a black Labrador retriever named Bubba, the report states. Rehnert knocked on the bedroom door several times, and Charlie barked in response, the report states.
Perkins said he was looking away from the door and saw Charlie fly through the air, landing on Bubba, the report states. The two dogs began to fight, and Perkins and Rehnert tried to break them up, the report states.

As he struggled to pull the dogs apart, Perkins said, he saw Rehnert stabbing Charlie and asked his roommate what he was doing, the report states.
Perkins told the deputy that Rehnert replied, "I told you I was going to kill him."
Perkins grabbed Rehnert's hair, and Rehnert raised the knife toward Perkins, the report states. At that point, Rehnert demanded Perkins return his bank card, and Perkins, who said he feared what Rehnert might do, complied, the report states.

The report did not say why Perkins had the bank card.
Perkins hid in a bathroom until Rehnert left, the report states.

The deputy found Rehnert at a friend's house. Rehnert said he had been in the kitchen when Charlie came in, growled and lunged at him, the report states. Rehnert said he blocked the dog's head and stabbed him, the report states.

Rehnert acknowledged that he told Perkins he wanted his bank card, though he denied threatening Perkins with the knife, the report states.

Rehnert insisted the confrontation with the dog took place in the kitchen, not the bedroom, the report states. The deputy reported finding a trail of blood that led from the bedroom to the kitchen, then to the porch, where Charlie lay wounded and chained. The dog was standing and eating but appeared lethargic, the report states.

The case was forwarded to Pasco County Animal Control for further investigation after Perkins said he did not plan to seek medical treatment for the dog, the report states.

Rehnert was being held at Land O' Lakes Jail on Tuesday. Bail was set at $15,000.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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