Man charged with abandoning dog in floodwaters as Florida residents evacuated ahead of hurricane

TAMPA, Fla. — A man has been arrested for animal cruelty after authorities say he left his dog in floodwaters near a highway as residents evacuated Florida’s Gulf Coast shortly before last week. Hurricane Milton came ashore.

The 23-year-old man from Ruskin, Florida, was arrested Monday on charges of criminal mischief and aggravated animal cruelty.

No file had yet been posted online, so it was unknown whether he had an attorney.

The dog, nicknamed Trooper by the Florida Highway Patrol, was found alive in chest-deep water along Interstate 75 in the Tampa area last Wednesday as residents evacuated Florida’s Gulf Coast, hours before the Category 3 hurricane made landfall. came.

Troopers took him to a veterinarian, where he was examined for injuries and given a clean bill of health.

“We take this crime very seriously and this defendant will face the consequences of his actions,” said State’s Attorney Suzy Lopez, whose jurisdiction covers the Tampa area.

An officer who located the dog based on a description from a passing witness described it as “in severe distress and shaking,” according to a redacted criminal report.

“Traffic was heavy as many people evacuated,” the trooper wrote in the arrest report. “Due to the circumstances and the extreme danger and risk of death caused by the suspect to the dog, the suspect’s actions caused excessive, unnecessary pain and suffering to the dog.”

Investigators were able to track down the owner after he went to an animal shelter in the Tampa area looking for his dog, which had been taken to a shelter in Tallahassee and then placed with a foster family. The owner agreed to give the dog up to the foster family on the condition that “they would take good care of the dog and love the dog,” according to the arrest report.

During an interview with the officer, the owner waived his right to remain silent and made a statement that was included in the report.

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An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that the man was arrested on Tuesday instead of Monday.