A man in Florida has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty after he admitted to leaving his dog chained on the side of a highway while he evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Last week, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) shared a video on social media of a trooper rescuing a dog chained to a pole near Interstate 75 in Tampa, hours before Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm. In the body camera video, the dog is seen barking at his rescuer as water rises around him.
On Tuesday, State Attorney Suzy Lopez said that Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida, was charged after he admitted to leaving his dog on the side of the highway while he evacuated to Georgia. Garcia told investigators that he left the dog, Jumbo, because he couldn’t find anyone to pick him up.
“In Hillsborough County, we protect our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly, children and our four-legged friends,” Lopez said at a press conference. “You don’t get away with doing what this man did in Hillsborough County, not under my watch.”
Garcia’s charge is a third-degree felony in Florida, with a possible sentence of up to five years in prison. The defendant reportedly went to the Hillsborough County animal shelter last week and showed pictures of his dog to claim ownership.
The dog, who has been renamed Trooper,” was rescued by FHP Tampa trooper Orlando Morales, who had received a tip about the dog on the side of the highway. Lopez thanked Morales for his “service to all residents—even four-legged ones”—in a post to her Facebook account on Tuesday.
“No one should ever commit an active animal cruelty, but you should especially not do so, one, in Hillsborough County, and two, during a state of emergency,” Lopez said at the press conference alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Last week, Florida Highway Patrol troopers rescued a dog tied to a pole by a highway in Tampa before Hurricane Milton made landfall. The owner has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
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DeSantis said that what happened to Trooper was “totally unacceptable.”
“I’m glad there’s going to be accountability. I think people want to see that. It just shows we take this very seriously and we expect you to treat animals well in the state of Florida,” the governor added.
Trooper was first taken to the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center to be evaluated for injuries after being rescued. He has since been transferred to the Leon County Humane Society in Tallahassee. The center said in a post to its Facebook page last week that Trooper “needs time to decompress in foster” care before he will be available for adoption. He will not be returned to Garcia.
Newsweek reached out by email to Lopez’s office for additional information.
Millions of people fled Central and South Florida in the days before Milton’s landfall. The Florida Division of Emergency Management warned residents ahead of the storm to have a plan for household pets if evacuating the area.
“If you evacuate your home, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS OR ANIMALS BEHIND,” the division said in a statement last weekend.
“It is unlikely for pets or larger animals to survive on their own. If by some chance they do, you may not be able to find them when you return. Prepare now and protect your family and pets before the next disaster strikes,” the statement said.
Update 10/15/24, 6:33 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
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