A man suspected of tying a scared dog to a fence as Hurricane Milton encroached on Florida shores has been arrested and charged.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida, has been hit with a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty, State Attorney Suzy Lopez announced on Tuesday. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison.
On October 9, Florida Highway Patrol troopers found the dog abandoned in rising floodwaters up to his chest on Interstate-75, officer body-worn camera released that day showed. Trooper Orlando Morales rescued the dog after getting a tip from a driver about a canine on the side of the road. The dog is now in foster care in Tallahassee.
Investigators said Garcia told them he was going to Georgia to escape the hurricane but left his dog “Jumbo” on the side of the road because he couldn’t find anyone to pick him up.
Governor Ron DeSantis praised Lopez’s office on Tuesday during a news conference.
“We said at the time, ‘you don’t just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm. Totally unacceptable. We’re going to hold you accountable.’”
The dog has been renamed Trooper, in honor of the law enforcement officers who rescued him.
“In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously,” Lopez said in a statement. “This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions. Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough.
“Hopefully, 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.”
