FL: Walton County Man charged with dogfighting, aggravated battery

1/05/17
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS - A 20-year-old DeFuniak Springs man was taken into custody Wednesday on charges stemming from incidents over the last two years.

Austin Gregory Guice faces charges of causing pain and suffering to animals, as well as three counts of dogfighting, according to his Walton County Sheriff's Office arrest report.


According to the warrant, he was observed testing a dog for "gameness" on April 20, 2015. He and two others, who were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the incident, were facilitating a fight between a dog named Chino and another unnamed dog.

The fight went on for 15-20 minutes and, at times, involved two dogs attacking a single dog, the warrant said.

Guice separated the dogs numerous times and then allowed them to fight again.

When this was over, one of the other suspects took out a gun and killed Chino, since he didn't possess the desired qualities.

Guice was also arrested Wednesday on warrants out of the DeFuniak Springs Police Department for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and improperly exhibiting a firearm. Those charges date back to a Feb. 29, 2016 drive-by shooting.

He successfully eluded law enforcement until Dec. 23, 2016 when he was taken into custody on unrelated charges in Fort Walton Beach.

http://www.waltonsun.com/news/20170105/man-charged-with-dogfighting-aggravated-battery