Tampa Man Busted by Neighbors for Shagging His Pit Bull

by Mike Roche

Rah row, someone is shagging the dog.

“Hidey ho neighbor!” Every now and then, we have a curious neighbor peering over our fence ostensibly to pass on social pleasantries but more likely just to snoop a little. On the other hand, sometimes we hear something that will pique our curiosity and we are the ones peeking over the neighbor’s fence, meanwhile hoping that our neighbor is unaware that we are invading their privacy.

Something very similar happened on Wednesday in Tampa; a neighbor’s suspicions became aroused because he heard some bizarre noises. As he stealthily elevated his eyes and nose above the top of the fence, he was ill prepared for what he was about to witness.

Simultaneously, a Tampa Police Officer just happened to be on routine patrol through the neighborhood of simple and modest homes. What, to his wonderment, did the officer see? The frantic motions of neighbors on North Marks Street. Alerted by the hysteria, the officer no doubt thought there was a burglar present, or perhaps that even a murder had occurred.

The astute officer slowed his patrol car and prepared to give chase or engage in some other death-defying action. He was shocked when he was informed that one of the neighbors was taking a joyride. A joyride? Yes, in a manner of speaking. The neighbor was taking sexual liberties with his dog, and not just any dog. No sir. The dog was a pit bull. A pit bull?

Pit bulls have a well-established reputation for their gripping bite, hold, and shake behavior. Watch what they do with a chew toy. They have wide skulls, well-developed muscles, and powerful jaws. The common pit bull terrier was created by cross breeding terriers and bulldogs to produce a dog that combined the insatiable fighting spirit of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog. Pit bulls have a long history of being used in blood sports such as bull baiting, bear baiting and cock fighting. In the mid- 1800′s, Great Britain outlawed the practice of blood sports and the associated animal abuse.

With the existence of new animal cruelty laws and the increasing difficulty of finding bears and bulls to pit against one, fight organizers found it easier to organize dogfights and began pitting pit bulls against each other. Their fighting reputation has continued to this day and was publicized by the arrest of Michael Vick, who was then the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Vick was alleged to have been raising and hosting dogfights on his property. He was convicted and did a stint in Federal prison.

A 15-year study in Kentucky of fatalities that stem directly from dog attacks, discovered that pit bulls were responsible for 45 percent of the fatal attacks. Another 15-year study of victims of dog attacks admitted to level 1 trauma centers, found that 35 percent of the bite injuries were the result of pit bulls attacking. With the sure knowledge that these dogs have quite often been bred for their fighting prowess, I must question the mental stability of a person who would willingly engage in sexual relations with such an animal.

The neighbor who had peeked over the fence was shocked to see Bernard Marsonek, 57, of 8125 N. Marks Street, having his way with his pit bull. The neighbor yelled at Marsonek to disengage, but his pleas were ignored. Other neighbors joined in yelling at Marsonek, but they were also ignored. Just days shy of his 58th birthday, Marsonek had apparently chosen to celebrate his birthday early in a rather bizarre fashion.

The neighbors were relieved at the timely arrival of the police officer on their street. They flagged the officer down and apparently, the presence of a police officer in a dark blue uniform with a gun, was enough to quell a riot in the making. Meanwhile, Marsonek had finally disengaged and had ducked into his house. The officers found the violator inside his house and questioned him. It is unknown what explanation he provided for his actions. One would assume that he may have been as closed-jawed as the dogs, given that the officers clearly had not had time to obtain a search warrant. Hillsborough County Animal Services were contacted, executed a search warrant and proceeded to search Marsonek’s residence.

Marsonek was arrested on charges of aggravated animal cruelty, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a misdemeanor count of sexual activity involving animals. Animal Services investigators took custody of eight large pit bulls that lived on Marsonek’s property. In addition, a gun and ammunition were seized during the search. The eight pit bulls are now presumably in a safer place, but given the weird proclivity of many men (and women for that matter) for “unnatural” sexual activity, we can only hope for the best.

There is little doubt, however, that Marsonek’s fellow prisoners at the Hillsborough County Jail will leave him alone. His reputation for taking sexual liberties with that most frightening of canines, the pit bull, will undoubtedly scare off even the most dangerous members of the jail population.

Please click here to view Mike Roche’s previous posts:

FHP Officer Jimmy Fulford Fields Pipe Bomb Intended for Young Mother with His Bare Hands and Dies Instantly

Fire Department and California Highway Patrol Go 9 Rounds: Win, Lose or Draw?

The Boston Bombers: A Tale of Two Troubled Brothers

Don’t Text at the Movies, The Life You Lose May Be Your Own!

Killers and the Catcher in the Rye

Mike Roche has over three decades of law enforcement experience. He began his career with the Little Rock Police Department, and spent twenty-two years with the U.S. Secret Service. The last fifteen years of his career were focused on conducting behavioral threat assessments of those threatening to engage in targeted violence. He is the author of three novels and two nonfiction works on mass murder and also rapport building. Retired, Mike is currently a security consultant at Protective Threat LLC, and an adjunct instructor at Saint Leo University. He resides in Florida with his family.