On February 15, 2024, based on videos circulating social media depicting a male subject beating and slamming a dog to the ground, a deputy from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested John Lee Jr., 22, of Baxley, on animal cruelty charges.
The incident report from the sheriff’s office describes the videos (one of which is posted below) then outlines the details of Lee’s arrests. After watching the videos, a deputy went to the home at 650 Leon Sapp Road in Douglas, which is where the incidents occurred. The report says the incident occurred over a year ago and Lee has since moved a short distance away. The deputy found him at the new location.
According to the report, Lee admitted to doing what the video depicted. He said that he was using illegal drugs at the time but has since stopped. The report states that Lee’s new home looked “well kept” and “cleaner” than the home in the videos. There were other dogs on the property, including the dog in the video, and all the dogs looked healthy. All of the dogs at the location, including the one in the video, were taken from the scene and placed in the custody of a local rescue organization for adoption.
Lee was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He was released soon after his arrest.