Man arrested on animal abuse charge

Byron Seth Sterling Hall, 37, was arrested yesterday on felony charges of animal abuse and cocaine possession.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to Sparrow Condominiums on the evening of February 14 in response to a report of animal cruelty. Video surveillance of an incident at about 1:30 a.m. that morning had been reported to the condominium association, and an employee was able to provide information about the unit where the dog was often seen.

The video reportedly showed a man on his knees, with a pitbull-type dog pinned to the ground. In the video, the man appears to strike the dog multiple times with his fist, and the dog can be heard whining with each blow. The man then stands up, picking up the dog by its harness and throwing the dog out of the camera’s view. The dog can be seen flipping in mid-air before going out of view.

On February 15, the deputy went back to the condominium complex and interviewed residents, learning that the man in the video was Byron Hall, who lived there, and that the dog in the video belonged to Hall’s girlfriend. Hall was not at his residence at the time.

The deputy went back later in the evening, found Hall at home, and detained him for questioning. Post Miranda, Hall told the deputy that his girlfriend and her dog had not been at his residence for “a couple of days.” The deputy asked if the dog had been there on February 14, and Hall reportedly said it had not. Hall also reportedly said that he never struck the dog and had no idea why people would say that was him in the video.

Hall was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty. In a search after the arrest, the deputy reportedly found a white powdery substance in a clear tube that tested positive for cocaine. Hall reportedly told the deputy that he had no idea what was in the tube or how it got there.

Hall has nine previous felony adjudications and was most recently released from the Department of Corrections in September of 2021. He is being held on $15,000 bail with a condition that he not care for any animals.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.