UVA Football Player Charged With Punching His Dog
UVA Football Player Charged With Punching His Dog
The News
University of Virginia football transfer Solomon Beebe has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty after a housekeeper told investigators she watched him punch his dog.
Beebe, a running back expected to serve as Virginia's kick returner, was arrested Monday on three Class 1 misdemeanor counts and released on an unsecured bond.
The charges land days before the Cavaliers' season opener.
Timeline
Court records list an alleged incident on this date, one of three that produced charges.
Two more alleged incidents. A housekeeper said she saw Beebe punch his pit bull twice that day.
Albemarle County animal control seized the dog and placed it in protective custody.
Beebe was arrested on the three misdemeanor counts and released on an unsecured bond.
Beebe appeared in Albemarle County District Court.
Reactions
Animal control officer Justin Gibson said the housekeeper described Beebe holding the dog against a wall and striking it with a closed fist multiple times, with the dog yelping after each blow.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Pollock has filed a petition seeking permanent custody of the dog.
The University of Virginia said it does not comment on ongoing criminal proceedings or student records.
What's Next
The case moves ahead in Albemarle County District Court, where prosecutors are also pressing their petition to keep the dog permanently out of Beebe's hands.
The open question in Charlottesville is whether the school acts on the roster before the August 29 opener. Beebe had been practicing and was described by coach Tony Elliott as already in the running back rotation.
More
All three counts are Class 1 misdemeanors — the most serious misdemeanor grade in Virginia — not felonies. Beebe is an incoming transfer, and the allegations date to his first weeks in the program.
The dog has been in protective custody since August 13.
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