Man charged with beheading dog of teen who rejected him

MINNEAPOLIS — A man accused of cutting the head off a former girlfriend's dog and leaving it at her front door in a gift-wrapped box was charged with animal cruelty and torture Friday.

Police said they found grisly evidence on Anthony Albert Gomez's cellphone: video of a chain saw being used to sever a dog's head.

Gomez, 24, of St. Paul, was arrested Thursday; a judge set bail at $20,000 at his first court appearance Friday.

Gomez, who is expected to enter a plea at an April 6 court appearance, remained jailed Friday.

The complaint, written by St. Paul police Sgt. Jim Gray, alleges that Gomez acknowledged that the crime happened in his basement but said others were responsible for decapitating the dog and sending it to Crystal Brown, 17. It was unclear from the document whether the dog had been alive when it was decapitated.

Gomez also said Brown was present for the decapitation, which she denied to police, the complaint said.

Brown was devastated when Chevy, her 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix, disappeared last month from the St. Paul home she shares with her grandmother, Shirley Brown.

Two weeks after Chevy disappeared, a gift box addressed to Crystal Brown was found at the front door. Inside, she found Valentine's Day candy and a garbage bag containing Chevy's head.

Shirley Brown said she and her granddaughter immediately suspected Gomez, who she said once dated the teenager and expressed jealousy when she began dating someone else.

The case drew media attention worldwide, and Crystal Brown received an outpouring of support from as far away as Australia. People sent cards, photos of pets and dog toys and treats. A $2,500 reward offered by the Humane Society of the United States quickly grew to $20,000.

Crystal Brown has a new puppy, Diesel, and Shirley Brown said they are bonding after just a few short weeks. "That's just Crystal," she said. "She's always loved animals."