LEON COUNTY, Fla. – The owner of a dog found by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper during Hurricane Milton evacuations last week in Tampa now faces animal cruelty charges.
On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the owner has been identified and will face aggravated animal cruelty charges, which is a third-degree felony.
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“It’s totally unacceptable, and we are going to hold you accountable,” said DeSantis.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida was arrested on Monday.
The Leon County Humane Society took Trooper in and later received a call from the governor’s office and was picked up late last week, according to a post on social media. He is now in foster care.
Trooper was found on Wednesday in belly-high water, abandoned along Interstate 75, near Pebble Creek, north of Tampa.
Trooper is not up for adoption yet. For more information about helping dogs like Trooper, visit www.leoncountyhumane.org/donate.
Garcia could face up to five years in prison.