DAVIE, Fla. – A hearing continued Wednesday for a Davie couple who were arrested in September on drug and animal cruelty charges, but who are now fighting in court to get their dogs back.
Prosecutors argue that Sean Brodnax and his wife, Danielle Palladino, were running an illegal puppy mill out of their home.
They believe the couple’s 26 French bulldog-pit bull mixes should remain in the custody of animal control, and detectives said the couple was not licensed to breed.
Their dogs were seized back on Sept. 13 when authorities served a search warrant at their home, finding fentanyl pills and about a kilo of cocaine mixed with fentanyl.
Davie police, BSO deputies and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided the couple’s home after receiving tips that Brodnax was involved in significant illegal activity.
Inside the Davie trailer home, officers say they found the drugs they were looking for and the French bulldog-pit bull mixes, many of which they say were in extreme distress.
Both Brodnax and Palladino were arrested on more than 350 charges, ranging from drug trafficking to animal abuse.
Now, BSO is asking the courts to take ownership of the dogs away from the couple and give it to the county, so they can be adopted out to loving homes.
On Wednesday, both sides wrapped up their arguments with attorneys for BSO drilling home their concerns about how the dogs were treated, while Brodnax and Palladino’s attorney said their intentions were clearly good.
“I would characterize this as dog prison, but they actually treat you better in prison -- none of the dogs had bedding,” an attorney for BSO said in court.
“You can see from the evidence, the overwhelming pictures -- like they were family,” the couple’s attorney, David Frankel, said. “I would agree that they violated the city codes, the local laws, the ordinances -- they were supposed to have a license. But, you know, there’s a lot of home construction, a lot of remodeling, a lot of fences that get built, that are not permitted, but yet it’s really solid construction.”
Technically, the judge has another month to decide this case, but it does not seem like it’s going to take that long. In fact, we’re expecting a decision in the next few days.