Featured Image Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office/ FHP Tampa
Topics: Animal Cruelty, Florida, Police, Dogs, Viral, Hurricane Milton, Animals
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Animal Cruelty, Florida, Police, Dogs, Viral, Hurricane Milton, Animals
A man who is accused of animal cruelty for abandoning his dog before a hurricane has given a shocking excuse for doing the heinous act.
Earlier this month, police bodycam footage shared to Florida Highway Patrol's Twitter page went viral.
The heartbreaking video saw a white bull terrier stood in water up to his knees and tied up to a fence having been abandoned by his owner.
While any case of a pet being deserted is a harrowing thought, this case in particular generated a lot of attention as the dog had been left just a day before life-threatening Hurricane Milton hit parts of Florida.
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Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Orlando Morales was the one to find the helpless dog and rescued him.
The dog, who has since been named Trooper in the wake of the officer who saved him and the hardships he's faced, growled and barked at Morales in the video, but he didn't give up and ultimately got the four-legged animal to safety.
As expected, the now-viral video caused outraged as hundreds of people called for the owner to be found and charged - and now he has.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, was arrested Monday (October 14) on felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles confirmed on Twitter.
The statement from Dave Kerner, Executive Director, read: "On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, a dog, now known as Trooper, was found abandoned in flood waters up to his chest on Interstate-75 in Tampa while many residents were evacuating before Hurricane Milton.
"Based upon a subsequent criminal investigation, State Troopers secured and executed a felony arrest warrant yesterday on Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida, for aggravated animal cruelty.
"Our agency is grateful for the unprecedented support of State Attorney Suzy Lopez and her prosecutors, particularly during a state of emergency. The criminal investigation is active and ongoing and additional information is unavailable at this time."
Lopez has since shared her own statement where she revealed Garcia's excuse for leaving his dog, whom he had named Jumbo.
She said that the dog was facing 'sure death' having been abandoned before the hurricane.
Before fleeing Florida himself, Garcia said he apparently 'couldn't find anyone to pick the dog up' so simply left him.
"In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously," Lopez said. "This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions."
While he left Trooper to fend for himself in one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the US in recent years, Garcia went to Hillsborough County Animal Shelter on Friday (October 11) to try reclaim his pet.
He has since offered to give up ownership of the dog on the basis that his new owner will love and take care of him.
If you see an animal in distress and/or in need of help, call 911 if a crime is in progress. You can also visit a directory of animal abuse investigation agencies by state here.