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Case ID: 19045
Classification: Burning - Fire or Fireworks
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
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Dog killed in arson fire
Tampa, FL (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011
County: Hillsborough

Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Kent Allen Perusse

Local authorities responding to distress calls arrived to a house in flames, the fire fully engulfing 5703 S MacDill Ave. as Kent Perusse, 48, allegedly resigned himself to watching it burn while he sat across the street on his neighbor's lawn.

He said, "I did it, " according to reports, and he allegedly did it for love - a love now over.

He told police he started the fire with gasoline because he didn't want his mother, wife or daughter to move in.

Minutes earlier, witnesses told police Perusse calmly walked down his steps in socks and shorts, with a soot-smeared face and third-degree burns on his lower legs.

Perusse also told police that he left his pit bull inside where it burned in his storage room.

He has been charged with first-degree arson and animal cruelty.

He was treated for two weeks in Tampa General Hospital after the Dec. 14 fire for his burns and smoke inhalation before he was booked.

Perusse was held on $55,000 bail, and his house is a loss totaling $72,804.

Florida state law considers arson an offense that is punishable by prison time, fines and restitution.

If Perusse is convicted, he could be sentenced up to 30 years. Florida stipulates if damages are caused by an intentional fire in "a structure occupied by a person, a dwelling or any structure where persons are normally present," according to Florida's

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