. >> reporter: gulfport police haven't charged him with anything, adding more fuel to the fire. so what really happened? i tracked down the the dog. >> i love my dog. >> reporter: joe bradford had his put bull rock since it was little. he says he is not the man being portrayed on social media. he was trying to get rock in the water to clean him. >> i dump him in like that. the first time he came back and swum to me. this time i forgot the chain was too heavy and end up i am looking at him like, damn, he is drowning. running, did the best i could, the fastest i can to save him. when i got him, i did cpr and i pretoriaed into his nose and his -- i breathed into his nose and mouth and he didn't come back. >> reporter: do you feel like this was a big mistake? >> of course it was a mistake. >> reporter: joe opened up to me because he said he wanted people know he has nothing to hide and truly loved his dog. >> i am a human. everyone makes mistakes. and i didn't -- i dogs. i am like no michael vick going to fight dogs and none of that. >> reporter: he says his sincerity is why police

. >> reporter: gulfport police haven't charged him with anything, adding more fuel to the fire. so what really happened? i tracked down the the dog. >> i love my dog. >> reporter: joe bradford had his put bull rock since it was little. he says he is not the man being portrayed on social media. he was trying to get rock in the water to clean him. >> i dump him in like that. the first time he came back and swum to me. this time i forgot the chain was too heavy and end up i am looking at him like, damn, he is drowning.

gulfport where the thieves have been traveling the streets looky for easy targets. chip osowski is live in clearwater tonight at the pinellas county jail. chip, i hear of these thieves. >> reporter: absolutely, keith. police in gulfport believe it's part of that same group you mentioned that has been trolling the streets, the same group responsible for that thanksgiving dakar theft and kidnapping. >> -- day car theft and kidnapping. >> i heard my son's stroller fall off the side of the car, so i knew something was going on. he's only 18 months old, so he couldn't be out here. >> reporter: sean rodriguez car seat for the blink of an eye. i started screaming my baby is in there, my baby is in there! >> reporter: the young man only made it a few feet before crashing the car. he took off on foot. thankfully his son chase was not hurt. the police chief robert vincent tells me these young men are trolling the streets of gulfport looking for opportunities. >> just within the past few days we've had these cases wherun or two wherever they see a car unlocked or running with the keys in it. they run up real fast, take it when they can. >> reporter: but the group picked the wrong house when they spotted a workman's