A Florida man who authorities say admitted to leaving his dog tied to the side of a highway as Hurricane Milton barreled toward the state has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin was arrested Monday and faces up to five years in prison after his dog, Jumbo, was found abandoned in chest-deep water earlier this month in Tampa amid evacuation efforts.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement of the sentence Aldama Garcia faces if convicted. “Hopefully, lawmakers take a look at this case and discuss changing the law to allow for harsher penalties for people who abandon their animals during a state of emergency.”
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Aldama Garcia was released Tuesday on a $2,500 bond, jail records show. He did not have an attorney listed as representing him.
Aldama Garcia told investigators that he was driving to Georgia to escape the oncoming storm and left his bull terrier along Interstate 75 “because he couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up,” Lopez’s office said in a press release.
State Trooper Orlando Morales got a tip from a passing driver and searched the roadway for the dog while Hillsborough County was under a state of emergency, Lopez’s office said. Video later posted on social media shows him finding the dog tied to a fence and barking, with stormwater all around him.
Two days later, Aldama Garcia allegedly tried to retrieve his dog from a local animal shelter, showing workers pictures as proof of his ownership, ABC News reported, citing a copy of a criminal affidavit.
He reportedly agreed to surrender ownership but under the condition that a foster would “take good care and love the dog,” according to the affidavit.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at a press conference Tuesday, condemned the man’s actions and said the dog, since renamed Trooper, is now residing with a foster family in Tallahassee.
“You don’t just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm. Totally unacceptable,” the governor said. “We said you would be held accountable and you will be held accountable.”
The Leon County Humane Society confirmed Tuesday that Trooper is receiving good care.
“Trooper is in foster care with a wonderful family who has breed experience,” the organization said in a statement. “In this home he will continue to decompress and enjoy all the good things in life. His foster parents will learn more about him and have his best interests at heart.”
