Fur Flies In Domestic Dispute

By Matt Wiley

An argument about attending a wine tasting turned ugly in Wesley Chapel, after a married couple’s verbal altercation turned physical.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), just after 2 p.m. on November 24, Jeanette Kadala, 59, and her husband, Robert Stewart, 61, both of the Bridgewater community off Wells Rd. in Wesley Chapel, were embroiled in an argument about attending a “wine tasting” event. Stewart did not want to attend.

Kadala told deputies that Stewart began yelling at her and calling her obscenities, before picking up the couple’s dog by the harness and threatening to take it to the pound. Kadala indicated that Stewart was choking the dog because of how he was holding it and added that she attempted to take the dog away from Stewart, but he threw it at her. She says that he then cornered her against a wall and dared her to strike him. Kadala said she was able to get away, but was shoved into a chair, which knocked over an end table.

In an interview with deputies, Stewart said that he never pushed his wife and that she actually pushed him. He also stated that he picked up the dog by the harness to put it into a cage to keep it from defecating on the floor, but never choked the animal.

Stewart was arrested on domestic battery charges and taken to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center without incident.

However, the PCSO arrest report states that during the booking process, Stewart became aggressive and had to be placed in an arm-bar hold. Stewart was later released on a $500 bond.