Man arrested for abandoning his dog before Hurricane Milton hits Florida

A man was arrested on animal cruelty charges after authorities say he abandoned his dog in floodwaters near a highway while evacuations were underway off Florida’s west coast last week in anticipation of Hurricane Milton.

The man, 23, of Ruskin, Florida, was arrested Monday on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty.

The case file has not yet been published online, so it is unknown if he has a lawyer.

The dog, whom Florida Highway Patrol officers named Trooper, was found chest-deep in water on Interstate 75 in the Tampa area last Wednesday as residents evacuated the region ahead of the arrival of the category 3 hurricane.

Officers took the animal to a veterinarian who examined it for injuries and it was released.

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

The officer who located the dog based on the description of a witness who was driving by the scene said the animal was “extremely distressed and shaky,” according to the police report.

“There was a lot of traffic because many people were evacuating,” the patrol officer wrote in his report. “Due to the circumstances, and the serious danger and risk of death that the defendant caused to the dog, the defendant’s actions caused unnecessary pain and suffering to the dog.”

Investigators were able to locate the owner after he showed up at a Tampa-area animal shelter looking for his dog, which had been transferred to a Tallahassee shelter and later placed with a foster family. The owner agreed to leave the dog with his new family on the condition that it “be well cared for and loved,” according to the police report.

During an interview with the agent, the owner waived his right to remain silent and gave a statement that appeared redacted in the report.

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