ST. PETERSBURG – On September 29, 2025, at approximately 7:10 p.m., deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Operations Bureau responded to a residence in unincorporated St. Petersburg for a report of animal abuse and lewd and lascivious conduct.
Deputies say the investigation revealed that earlier in the day, Nigel Alexander Myers, 44, followed a 15-year-old female victim into a bedroom. The victim was able to leave, but Myers continued following her into the living room and attempted to force her back into the bedroom.
During the altercation, a 3-year-old pit bull named Sparta approached Myers and began jumping on him in a protective manner. According to deputies, Myers picked up Sparta and threw him against the top compartment of a dog cage. He then allegedly picked the dog up by its hind legs and threw him off a second-floor balcony.
Sparta was transported to a nearby animal hospital with serious injuries. The dog is expected to survive.
Myers was arrested and charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty, Domestic Battery, Child Abuse, and Lewd and Lascivious Conduct. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
The victim’s identity is not being released under Florida Statute 119.071.
The investigation remains ongoing.