Man arrested for animal cruelty after dog found tied to post in floodwaters ahead of Hurricane Milton
The former owner of a dog that was left tied to a post off a Florida highway in floodwaters ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall has been arrested for animal cruelty, officials announced Tuesday.
The dog was found up to its chest in floodwaters off Interstate 75 in Tampa on Oct. 9, as many residents were evacuating due to Milton, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
A state trooper rescued the dog, now known as Trooper, the department said. Florida Highway Patrol shared a video on social media last week of the dog tied to the post with the caption, "Do NOT do this to your pets please..."
The former owner of the dog -- identified by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida -- was arrested on Monday for aggravated animal cruelty, a felony.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez, whose office is prosecuting the case, also announced the arrest on Tuesday, saying, "We take this crime very seriously and this defendant will face the consequences of his actions."
Aldama Garcia was released Tuesday on $2,500 cash bond, according to online jail records. ABC News' attempts to reach him were unsuccessful. Online court records do not list any attorney information.
The Florida Highway Patrol trooper initially responded to a call involving an abandoned dog shortly before 9 a.m. local time on Oct. 9, according to a criminal report affidavit. At the time, Hillsborough County was under a state of emergency due to Milton. There were heavy rains and flooding along the sides of the interstate at the time, according to the affidavit.
"Due to the circumstances, and the extreme danger and risk of death caused by the defendant to the dog, the defendant’s actions caused excessive unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering to the dog," the affidavit stated.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane later that day near Siesta Key and wreaked havoc throughout the state. There have been at least 23 deaths in Florida tied to Milton.
Two days later, Aldama Garcia went to the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter to attempt to retrieve the dog and showed pictures as proof of ownership, according to the affidavit.
When the Leon County Animal Shelter, which had possession of the dog, contacted Aldama Garcia, he reportedly told the shelter that "if the current foster will take good care and love the dog, he will surrender ownership," the affidavit stated. Aldama Garcia filled out the required paperwork to surrender ownership, according to the affidavit.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press briefing on Tuesday that since the rescue, Trooper is now in Tallahassee and will be adopted.
"We said at the time, you don't just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm, totally unacceptable, and we're going to hold you accountable," DeSantis said. "We said you'd be held accountable, and you will be held accountable."
