A former police officer from Florida has found himself in legal trouble after allegedly poisoning his ex-girlfriend’s dog, a crime that has left the pet owner devastated. Edwin Campuzano, aged 22, is facing accusations of feeding toxic pellets to Milo, a 3-year-old Maltese poodle, last May. The incident took place while Campuzano’s then-girlfriend, Paula Fernandez, was away on a trip to California.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department reported that during the time of the incident, Campuzano was serving as a full-time officer with the Bartow Police Department. However, his employment there has since ended. Prior to his arrest, he was preparing to embark on a new career path with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, set to begin in January.
In a press conference held on Friday, Fernandez recounted the distressing moment she learned of Milo’s death. Her neighbor had called her on May 30 with the heartbreaking news. “I’ll never forget that call. I’ll never forget that day,” Fernandez expressed emotionally. “My heart just dropped. It made no sense because I made sure to say goodbye to him in the morning before I got on my flight, and he was perfectly fine.”
At the time, Campuzano was an full-time officer with the Bartow Police Department, though he is not employed there anymore. Before his arrest, he was looking to start a new job in January at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Fernandez explained during a press conference on Friday that her neighbor called her on May 30 to tell her that Milo had died.
‘I’ll never forget that call. I’ll never forget that day. I just felt my heart drop, and it just didn’t make sense because I made sure to say bye to him in the morning before I got on my flight and he was perfectly fine,’ she said.
‘He was a completely sweet boyfriend to me. We hardly argued. There were no signs for me other than the fact that he didn’t like Milo,’ Fernandez added. ‘That’s what makes this so much scarier.’
Now that she believes he was responsible, she is disturbed that Campuzano’s behavior did not change after the dog’s death. She said he brought over flowers to the house that day for Fernandez, along with her mother and sister.
Milo, 3-year-old Maltese poodle, died last May after he was allegedly poisoned by Paula Fernandez’s ex-boyfriend
Edwin Campuzano, 22, is accused of feeding poison pellets to the dog while Fernandez was away on a trip to California. He was arrested on January 16
‘He did this knowing that my family was going to be gone for a week and none of us got to say bye to him. [Milo] died a painful death and he died alone,’ she said.
The neighbor was the first to notice the pellets in Milo’s food bowl, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, who stood beside Fernandez at the lectern.
Chronister said Fernandez saved the pellets and took pictures of them to send to people who might know what they are. She was told they were likely rodent poison.
On December 17, Fernandez asked Campuzano, who she was still dating at the time, to take a look at his credit card statement, Chronister said.
She found an $8.01 charge at a tractor supply store, then went down to the store to investigate. According to Chronister, she found a gopher poison that costed $8.01.
The store then pulled up Campuzano’s receipt showing that he in fact bought the poison, Chronister said.
Fernandez spoke at a press conference on Friday to tell the public what happened to Milo. With Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister at her side, she explained that she secured crucial evidence against Campuzano that led to his arrest
The neighbor was the first to notice the pellets in Milo’s food bowl, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
‘I’ve learned that this poison on any other animal that it’s not intended for is an extremely painful death,’ Chronister added. ‘He bought this poison two days before she left town knowing that his intentions were to kill this poor, innocent animal.’
The same day Fernandez found all this out, she called the sheriff’s department. By January 16, the department issued a warrant and arrest Campuzano without incident.
‘He did not make any statement. And equally as important, at no time did he ever show any sense of remorse,’ Chronister said.
Chronister added that Campuzano has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty, given that his alleged actions were ‘deliberate, cruel, and very calculated’.
‘This badge that we wear doesn’t protect us from wrongdoing. It holds us to a higher standard of accountability. And our suspect, at 22 years of age, is going to learn that real quick,’ he added.
