Tampa, FL – January 23, 2026 – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Edwin Campuzano, 22, a former Bartow Police Department officer, on a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, in May 2025, while the victim’s girlfriend was away on a trip, Campuzano allegedly placed poison pellets in the food bowl of her 3-year-old Maltese Poodle (named Milo in some reports). The dog consumed the poison, suffered internal bleeding, and died. Leftover pellets were recovered from the bowl.
A transaction record showed that Campuzano purchased the poison using his debit card at a Tractor Supply store two days before the victim departed.
The incident was reported to HCSO in December 2025. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant on January 16, 2026. Campuzano turned himself in later that day.
According to the City of Bartow, Edwin Campuzano was hired on October 31, 2022, as a Public Safety Aide. He attended the law enforcement academy and was sworn in as a Police Officer on April 8, 2024. At the time of the incident, he was employed full-time as a law enforcement officer with the Bartow Police Department. He submitted his letter of resignation on December 22, 2025, stating that he had accepted a position with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and officially separated from the City of Bartow on January 5, 2026. He is no longer employed by the agency.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has stated that the suspect “Withdrew-Never Started.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister stated: “Those who wear the badge are held to a higher standard, and when someone falls short of that responsibility, it reflects a serious failure of the values we are sworn to uphold. This innocent animal deserved care and protection, and the trust placed in him as a partner makes this loss all the more senseless.”
Sheriff Chronister and the dog’s owner are scheduled to be available for media interviews today, January 23, 2026.
SOURCE: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
