Jury selection starts Monday for man accused of sexually assaulting family dog

Attorneys next week will select a jury to hear the case of a Pensacola man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the family dog.

Bradley Hubbard, 23, was charged in January with one count of engaging in sexual conduct with an animal and one count of causing cruel death, pain or suffering to animals for the alleged assault on the family's pit bull mix named Baby Girl.

In Hubbard's original arrest report, the witness who spoke with police said she estimated the abuse had occurred more than 100 times and had been ongoing for about three years, but the state's charges relate only to December 2016.

In that report, the woman, who lived in the home and notified police, said she had physically seen Hubbard assaulting the dog through a hole in his bedroom door.

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The witness said she heard the dog whimper and cry out in pain during the assault, and the behavior became more frequent over time, which led her to report the attacks. She said the dog had stopped making whimpering noises over time as it was victimized.

Hubbard had allegedly brushed off questions about the dog's symptoms of abuse by saying Baby Girl was in heat.

Following Hubbard's arrest, calls from around the country flooded in to Escambia County Animal Control to support Baby Girl.

Escambia County Animal Control Director John Robinson said at the time that Baby Girl is considered evidence in the case, so she would be held at the shelter until Hubbard is either found guilty or not guilty. An Escambia County spokeswoman said Friday the dog is still in the custody of animal control and while she's healthy, she continues to be "aggressive and difficult to handle."

Court documents show several community members wrote Judge Jan Shackleford about the case to express their concern with Hubbard's alleged actions and to persuade her to impose a strong sentence, presuming his guilt.

One woman, who wrote from Ohio, said she believed Hubbard was as dangerous as a pedophile.

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Hubbard's defense attorney, Gene Mitchell, also filed a number of documents in court records proclaiming his client's innocence. In one letter to the State Attorney's Office in April, Mitchell claimed Hubbard passed a polygraph test while asserting his innocence. Mitchell said in the letter he was concerned the state may be prosecuting an innocent man.

The results of a sexual assault evidence kit filed in the court records claim there was no semen identified on the animal's vaginal and cervical swab, though according to Hubbard's original arrest report, investigators found physical signs of sexual abuse during Baby Girl's examination.

Mitchell could not be reached for comment Friday.

Though the case is scheduled for jury selection in Escambia County court Monday, a State Attorney's Office representative said the case's trial date has not yet been set. Following the jury selection, the court will determine when the facts of the case will be heard.