Man accused of leaving dog tied to fence before Hurricane Milton: Charged with animal cruelty
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
A Florida man who was accused of tying his dog to a fence and abandoning it as Hurricane Milton approached the state is now charged with aggravated animal cruelty, authorities announced on Tuesday, Oct, 15. Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida, was arrested Monday, Oct. 14, on felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said on X. The 23-year-old could face up to five years in jail if found guilty of the animal cruelty charge.
Thirteenth Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez is pursuing the case against Garcia, who admitted leaving his dog on the highway as he evacuated the state in anticipation of Milton, the state attorney’s office said in a statement. “In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously.” According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office inmate records, no attorney was listed for Garcia, who was released on bond.
Attempts to reach Garcia through a phone number listed as his were unsuccessful, and there was no immediate response Tuesday night to an email to an address listed as his requesting comment. Calls to numbers listed as his parents' went unreturned. Lopez said she doesn't think five years in prison is enough time and hopes lawmakers "take a look at this case and discuss changing the law to allow for harsher penalties for people who abandon their animals during a state of emergency." The investigation is "active and ongoing," and no other information is available, Dave Kerner, executive director of the Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department, said in a statement.
Florida Highway Patrol officers found the dog, named Trooper, Wednesday in Tampa on Interstate 75 "in flood waters up to his chest" as Floridians were evacuating in anticipation of Milton’s making landfall, Kerner said. Trooper was marked safe and healthy after highway patrol officers took him to the vet. The state attorney's office statement said Garcia told investigators he abandoned his dog on his way to Georgia because he "couldn't find anyone to pick the dog up."
A trooper got a tip about the abandoned dog and eventually found him on the side of the highway. The dog is now safe and will not be returned to Garcia. NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa reported that Garcia went to the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter on Friday looking to claim his dog, the highway patrol said in an affidavit. His information was shared with the sheriff's office in Leon County, where the dog was taken. During a press briefing on Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that since the rescue, Trooper has been in Tallahassee and will be adopted. "We said at the time, you don't just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm, totally unacceptable, and we're going to hold you accountable," DeSantis said. "We said you'd be held accountable, and you will be held accountable."