Overview

• The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Monday at a residence in unincorporated St. Petersburg, according to the sheriff's office.
• Investigators identified the suspect as Nigel Myers, 44, who allegedly followed a 15-year-old into a bedroom and tried to get her back inside.
• The family's 3-year-old pit bull, Sparta, jumped on Myers in a protective manner, deputies said.
• Myers allegedly threw Sparta against a dog cage before picking the dog up by the hind legs and throwing him off a second-floor balcony.
• Sparta was hospitalized with serious injuries and is expected to survive, and Myers was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on charges including aggravated animal cruelty, domestic battery, child abuse, and lewd and lascivious conduct.