Man Accused Of Having Sex With Dog At Clearwater Apartment Complex

CLEARWATER, FL — A 36-year-old Orlando man has been arrested after being accused of having sex with a dog.

Clearwater police officers arrested Chad Mason on several charges Sunday evening, including sexual activity involving animals.

He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail, where he is being held Monday, authorities said.

Officers were called to an apartment complex in the 2600 block of McMullen Booth Road about 4:30 p.m. Sunday after residents there said a man was having sex with a dog. The crime was witnessed by several people, including a juvenile, police said.

When Mason was confronted by someone at the apartments, he ran to the nearby Northwood Presbyterian Church, where police said he knocked over a nativity display and broke potted plants, causing about $400 worth of damage.

Police said Mason then left the church and headed into an adjacent neighborhood, where he destroyed a mailbox and tried to steal a car.

In addition to the sexual activity involving animals charge, Mason faces two counts of lewd or lascivious exhibition, two counts of exposure of sexual organs, criminal mischief and criminal mischief to a place of worship, police said.