Carmel on the Case: Walking into Danger - Dog Stabbed

WSVN -- Furry Friends are more than just pets, for Lynn Jones her black lab-chow mix, named Bailey was part of the family.

Lynn Jones: "This was my daughter's dog she bought with her own money. We've had him since he was a puppy."

Two months ago, Lynn took Bailey for his nightly walk in her Coral Springs neighborhood. She says it turned nasty when her neighbor, who is a Tamarac firefighter showed up with his three Jack Russell Terriers.

Lynn Jones: "We've had a confrontation with our dogs in the past, so normally when we walk, we avoid each other. It's never been a problem."

But for some reason on this night, Lynn says the neighbor came right at her and Bailey.

Lynn Jones: "I yelled to him to please stop, and the dogs started barking, and I said, 'Please, stop,' and he just proceeded to come at us."

It's what happened next that left her stunned.

Lynn Jones: "So it created a scuffle, and just within an instant he grabbed my dog and wrestled him to the ground and stabbed him."

According to police reports, John Badgwell stabbed Bailey four times with his pocketknife.

Lynn Jones: "He didn't even stay to render any aid or see what he had done. He just took off."

Police photos show the wounds in a circular pattern, two of them directly pierced Bailey's heart. The spokesperson for the Coral Springs Police Department says Badgwell knew his way around knives.

Sgt. Joe McHugh: "He's an avid hunter. Fish and Wildlife has over a hundred licenses that he's actually applied for, so, obviously, for him to actually display a knife, he knows exactly how to handle a knife."

Badgwell told police the dog had bit him when he tried to break up the dogfight. He was charged with felony cruelty to animals.

Lynn Jones is still in shock.

Lynn Jones: "It was totally uncalled for. I don't know, to this day why he did it. I really don't."

And now, she says, she lives in fear.

Lynn Jones: "I'm afraid to go out in my own street, my own yard."

Carmel Cafiero: "Badgwell refused to talk to us about the case. He is a paramedic/firefighter for the City of Tamarac. The department has reassigned him until his trial is over. In the meantime, he is not allowed to work with the public."