After the Florida Highway Patrol rescued an abandoned dog tied to a fence from Hurricane Milton’s floodwaters, its suspected owner now faces felony charges.
Law enforcement officers in Florida located and arrested the suspected owner, Giovanna Aldama Garcia.
Garcia, a 23-year-old from Florida, allegedly tied the animal to a pole along Interstate 75, a designated evacuation route, on Oct. 9, the same day the storm made landfall. A police affidavit obtained by TODAY.com accuses Garcia of leaving the dog behind as the hurricane approached. Now he faces charges of animal abandonment.
Police body camera footage of an abandoned dog has sparked outrage and concern on social media after Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers shared footage of the frightened dog tied to a pole and submerged up to its chest in flood water.
Shortly after being rescued, the dog was taken to the Leon County Humane Society shelter in Tallahassee, Florida.
Three days later, on October 11, a separate shelter, Hillsborough County Animal Shelter, reported that Garcia had visited its facility to retrieve the dog, but it was being held at a different shelter.
Later, the owner submitted documents in which he gave up ownership of the dog to the center, provided that the current guardian “will take good care of and love the dog.”
“Due to the circumstances and the extreme danger and risk of death caused by the defendant to the dog, the defendant’s actions resulted in excessive, unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering on the dog,” the affidavit states.
The Leon County Humane Society has been keeping its Facebook followers updated on the recovery of the dog they named Trooper.
“He is named Trooper because of what he went through and to honor those who saved him,” the shelter explained in a Facebook post.
In an October 11 update, the shelter received dozens of inquiries about adopting Trooper, but emphasized its desire to help him recover as a priority.
“He needs time to decompress at the shelter so that we can fit him in as best as possible so he can best transition to his forever home,” the shelter explained.
The criminal investigation is active and ongoing.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com