Man who decapitated pet dog and put its head into gift box arrested

The police arrested a 24-year-old man, 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.

Photo: Man who decapitated pet dog and put its head into gift box arrested

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."

Police said the man they arrested lived a few blocks from the teen and may have had a romantic interest in her, the AP reports.

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.

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 (EUR 1,900) reward offered by the Humane Society of the United States to $20,000 (EUR 15,000).