UVA football player Solomon Beebe faces animal cruelty charges after witness alleges he punched dog: report

Solomon Beebe, an incoming Virginia football transfer, is facing three misdemeanor animal cruelty charges stemming from alleged incidents earlier this month, according to online court records obtained by 247Sports.

Beebe, a Montgomery, Alabama, native and former UAB running back, was arrested on charges filed Monday and appeared Thursday morning in Albemarle County District Court. Court records show the three Class 1 misdemeanor charges stem from one alleged incident on Aug. 10 and two others on Aug. 12.

Records show Albemarle County animal control seized Beebe’s dog the following day and placed it in protective custody.

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"This canine was seized on Thursday, August 13 in (the) county of Albemarle by its animal control officers and is currently held in protective custody at the SPCA in Albemarle County," Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Pollock wrote in a petition seeking custody of the dog.

According to The Daily Progress, a housekeeper at Beebe’s apartment complex reported seeing him punch his pit bull twice on Aug. 12. The animal protection unit also looked into earlier reported conduct involving the dog.

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As part of the investigation, an animal protection official interviewed a housekeeper at the Maximilian at Stonefield, the apartment complex where Beebe lives north of Charlottesville. The housekeeper described two separate instances of alleged violence on Aug. 12.

"She observed Mr. Beebe hold his dog against the wall and punch his dog with a closed fist multiple times," animal control officer Justin Gibson said, "and the dog was yelping in pain with each strike."

Beebe was taken into custody Monday and released on unsecured bond.

The University of Virginia provided the following statement to Fox News Digital: "The University does not comment on matters involving ongoing criminal proceedings or student records."

After two seasons at UAB as a running back and return specialist, Beebe entered the transfer portal in December before ultimately committing to Virginia and arriving on campus in Charlottesville in January. Beebe finished the 2025 season at UAB with 338 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while adding 284 receiving yards.

Beebe was seen practicing with the Cavaliers as recently as Monday morning. Virginia coach Tony Elliott later spoke about what Beebe has shown since joining the program.

"He showed immediately that he can play running back and be a really good one," Elliott told reporters. "So he's in the rotation there, which requires a lot to play for us. And then in the return game, he's already shown what he can do there."

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Elliott did not meet with reporters Thursday.

Beebe’s attorney of record, Thomas Weidner, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Virginia opens the season Aug. 29 against NC State.