BIG PINE KEY, Fla. (WSVN) – A South Florida man is facing charges of assault, battery and animal cruelty following an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
MCSO deputies responded to a call on Dec. 11 at a residence in Big Pine Key, where three women reported that Steven Maltese, 28, of Sunrise, had allegedly threatened to kill them.
According to MCSO, the incident involved Maltese choking one of the women, pushing them and throwing a coffee mug at them.
One victim was transported to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Maltese then allegedly placed a dog in a suitcase with a cloth tie wrapped around its neck before closing the suitcase. The dog sustained no serious injuries.
Maltese had reportedly left the scene before authorities arrived, but warrants were subsequently obtained for his arrest.
He was apprehended and booked into jail on Friday.
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