A transient was charged with animal cruelty after the Interim Chief of the Panama City Police Department watches him punch a dog in the head.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Interim Chief Mark Smith was headed to the PCPD station in response to another incident when he passed a man walking along the 2100 block of Lisenby Avenue and striking a puppy in the head.

Interim Chief Smith turned around and confronted the suspect, Adam Howard, in regards to the incident. Howard had been observed hitting his 4-month-old dog in the head three times with a closed fist.

Howard was placed under arrest on a charge of animal abuse. While on the scene, a second witness arrived and stated he had seen Howard hit and drag the dog in the past.

Howard was booked into the Bay County Jail on one count of animal cruelty. Interim Chief personally took charge of the dog until Animal Control could be contacted.

Anyone having information in this case is urged to call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100, or they can report tips anonymously via smartphone by downloading the “Panama City PD” Tip411 app from the iOS or Google Play stores.

Alert sent on 08/28/2021 at 6:41PM EDT

To submit a tip via text message text PCPDTIP and your tip to 847411

Alert delivered to the following groups: Panama City Police Department, Business Alerts, and Press Releases

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