Man charged after dog found abandoned in flooded Florida field before Hurricane Milton | US News

A man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after images of an abandoned dog before Hurricane Milton were widely shared online.

Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin in Hillsborough County, Florida, faces up to five years in prison after the bull terrier was rescued by highway patrol officers on Interstate 75 in Tampa on October 9.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) shared video showing the dog in chest-deep water and tied to a fence as people began evacuating the state hours earlier. Milton made landfall.

The animal appeared shaken and began barking when an FHP trooper approached.

Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Suzy Lopez, who is prosecuting charges against Garcia, said the bull terrier faced “certain death” when he was found, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported.

Highway Patrol officers took the animal to a veterinarian after the rescue, where it was found to be in good health.

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.

The 23-year-old former owner, who fled Florida before the hurricane, told investigators he abandoned the animal on his way to Georgia because he “couldn’t find anyone to take it.” to recover”.

As it happened: Hurricane Milton leaves trail of destruction in Florida

He then went to the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter on Friday to pick up the dog, according to NBC News affiliate WFLA in Tampa, which cited a Highway Patrol statement.

Garcia said if the dog’s new owner took care of it and loved it, they would relinquish 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.”

Learn more:
Eyewitness: Hurricane Milton Wasn’t the Storm People Feared
Baby born during hurricane a ‘miracle,’ mother says

Ms. Lopez added that she does not think five years in prison is enough and hopes that politicians “will look into this case and discuss changing the law to allow harsher penalties for people who abandon their animals during a state emergency”.

Garcia was released after posting bail loaned by a bail bond company, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office inmate records.

Dave Kerner, executive director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said the investigation into the matter is “active and ongoing.”