Man arrested in dog beheading

(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-23 16:59

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A 24-year-old man has been arrested, suspected of cutting the head off of a 17-year-old girl's pet dog and leaving it at her front door in a gift-wrapped box.

The man, who is expected to be arraigned Friday, was being held on suspicion of terrorist threats. Police said he may be charged with animal cruelty.

"I think I can sleep a lot better now," said Crystal Brown. "It will make me feel way safer. Now we can walk around the whole block."

Crystal was devastated last month when Chevy, her 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix, went missing. Two weeks after the dog disappeared, a gift box addressed to Crystal was found at the front door of a house she shares with her grandmother. Inside, Crystal found Valentine's Day candy and a garbage bag containing her pet's head.

Police said the man they arrested lived a few blocks from Crystal and may have had a romantic interest in the girl.

The case drew widespread media attention. The television show "America's Most Wanted" posted the case on its Web site, and donations pushed a $2,500 reward offered by the Humane Society of the United States to $20,000.



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