The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Central Florida man who was a law enforcement officer for poisoning his girlfriend’s dog.
When the victim left for a trip, and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Edwin Campuzano, left poison pellets in the food bowl of a 3-year-old Maltese Poodle because he did not like the dog, according to local law enforcement.
After eating the poison, the dog died, and the leftover pellets were recovered from the bowl.
A store transaction showed that Campuzano purchased the poison with his debit card from Tractor Supply, two days prior to the victim leaving, according to HCSO.
At the time of the incident, Edwin Campuzano was a full-time law enforcement officer with the Bartow Police Department, but is no longer employed by the agency.
“Those who wear the badge are held to a higher standard, and when someone falls short of that responsibility, it reflects a serious failure of the values we are sworn to uphold,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This innocent animal deserved care and protection, and the trust placed in him as a partner makes this loss all the more senseless.”
The incident was reported to HCSO in December 2025, and an arrest warrant was obtained in January 2026.
Edwin Campuzano turned himself in later that day and was charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals.
