Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Photos for Headline Surfer / Steven Lee Parsons, 34, is shown above (jail mug) and below (first appearance before a judge) arrested the night of Sept. 9, 2021 in DeBary, Florida, accused of multiple felonies with a firearm in connection with shooting the family dog, Chappo, shown above (pic blurred due to severity of gunshot above the snout and between the eyes above).
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DEBARY, Fla. -- Despite being shot between the eyes above the snout, "Chappo," a pit bull mix, was observed wagging his tail and bleeding profusely deputies noted in responding to a DeBary resident the night of Sept. 9, where the alleged gunman, Steven Lee Parsons, was arrested on multiple felony charges, including animal cruelty with a firearm.
Parsons, described as intoxicated by deputies, is shown on a body cam video outside the Lake Drive residence in DeBary around 9:30 p.m. while being handcuffed asked in part, "Are we really taking me to jail over this?"
A deputy answered, "Yes" and Parsons was subsequently transported to the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach without further incident where he spent 23 days behind bars before making bail. Conditions of his release, while his criminal case is pending, include no contact with his live-in girlfriend or their two minor children, and no possession of firearms.
Deputies learned the disturbance stemmed from Parsons’ girlfriend hiding his guns from him because he was intoxicated and made a comment about using them on himself. She said Parsons became aggressive after she hid the guns, and she left the house to get away from him.
Deputies said in the arrest affidavit that the disturbance stemmed from Parsons’ girlfriend hiding his guns from him because he was intoxicated and made a comment about using them on himself.
Deputies said they mmediately noticed blood throughout the house, and moments later they were greeted by a pit bull mix, who came around a corner bleeding heavily with an apparent gunshot wound between the eyes," the arrest report stated in part.
Deputies said the dog, named Chappo, was friendly and walking around wagging its tail despite the injury with profuse bleeding from the wound above its snout. Parsons reportedly told deputies he shot the dog because it bit him. Parsons’ girlfriend told deputies the dog is protective of her and bit Parsons on the hand because he was yelling.
Deputies found a spent round inside the bathroom where the shooting occurred and determined that only thin drywall separated the bathroom from the bedroom where the children were at the time.
The girlfriend took Chappo to an emergency animal clinic in Daytona Beach for treatment. Chappo was kept overnight for observation and was then allowed to go home.
What made this criminal incident particularly scary beyond the horrific injury to the dog was the fact that the couple's two children, an 8-year-old boy, and a 10-year-old girl were in the very next room during the domestic situation involving the parents. Deputies said the children were understandably visibly upset about the shooting of the family dog, but fortunately, they were not injured.
According to the arrest affidavit, Parsons admitted he shot the dog because it bit him. Parsons’ girlfriend told deputies the dog is protective of her and bit Parsons on the hand because he was yelling. Deputies found a spent round inside the bathroom where the shooting occurred and determined that only thin drywall separated the bathroom from the bedroom where the children were at the time.
According to the arrest affidavit, Parsons admitted he shot the dog because it bit him. Parsons’ girlfriend told deputies the dog is protective of her and bit Parsons on the hand because he was yelling.
Deputies found a spent round inside the bathroom where the shooting occurred and determined that only thin drywall separated the bathroom from the bedroom where the children were at the time.
A Volusia County Sheriff's PIO said the girlfriend took Chappo to an emergency animal clinic in Daytona Beach for treatment after Parsons' was taken into custody.
Chappo was kept overnight for observation and was then allowed to go home.
Criminal Case Update: Steven Lee Parsons (DOB 12/9/1986) had a pre-trial hearing on Feb. but no trial date has yet been scheduled. He is facing felony charges of animal cruelty with a firearm, two counts of the physical threat of child abuse due to firearms use, and shooting into a dwelling. Parsons could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Because of the alleged gun violence involving the family dog while the other family members were inside the home, Parsons is prohibited from having any contact with the girlfriend or the minor children in the home or elsewhere while his criminal case is pending. Parsons, affixed with an ankle monitoring bracelet is forbidden from possessing firearms and from consuming alcohol or using illicit drugs.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.