A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after footage of a dog that was abandoned ahead of Hurricane Milton was shared widely online.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, from Ruskin in Hillsborough County, Florida, is facing up to five years in prison after the male bull terrier was rescued by highway patrol troopers on Interstate 75 in Tampa on 9 October.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) shared a video showing the dog up to its chest in water and tied to a fence as people began evacuating the state hours before Milton made landfall.
The animal appeared shaken and started barking as it was approached by an FHP trooper.
Thirteenth Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez, who is pursuing the charges against Garcia, has said the bull terrier was facing “sure death” when it was found, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported.
Highway patrol officers took the animal to a vet after the rescue where it was found to be healthy.
The dog, which has since been named Trooper, is now safe and will not be returned to Garcia, the Florida state attorney’s office said in a statement.
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It added that the 23-year-old former owner, who fled Florida ahead of the hurricane, told investigators he abandoned the pet on his way to Georgia because he “couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up”.
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He later went to the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter on Friday looking to claim the dog, according to NBC News affiliate WFLA in Tampa, which cited a highway patrol statement.
Garcia said that if the dog’s new owner would take care of it and love it, he would give up ownership, WFLA added.
Ms Lopez said: “In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously.
“This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions.”
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Ms Lopez added that she doesn’t think five years in prison is enough time and hopes politicians “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”.
Garcia was released after paying bail money loaned by a bond company, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office inmate records.
Dave Kerner, executive director of the Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department, has said the investigation into the case is “active and ongoing”.
