Florida man accused of tying up, abandoning dog during Hurricane Milton cleared of charges sparking outrage: Im disgusted

The Florida man accused of tying his dog to a fence while fleeing the state to avoid the wrath of Hurricane Milton had his animal cruelty charges dropped by prosecutors, sparking outrage from the community that rescued the pooch.Giovanny Aldama Garcia’s third-degree felony charge was thrown out when Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez’s office did not have sufficient evidence to verify the dog owner was responsible for tying up the bull terrier pup to a fence on the side of I-75 Footage from the Florida Highway Patrol captured the dog, later named Trooper, barking desperately for help as he stood in stomach-deep water while the Category 3 storm dumped heavy rain in the area on October 9, 2024.“The facts as depicted in the video and the statements do not support the theory that the dog was attached to the fence in an intentional manner,” Lopez’s office wrote in a memo viewed by WUFT.“A failure to locate the dog during an emergency evacuation does not equate to a criminal failure to act.”Garcia claimed he couldn’t rescue the pooch before racing out of the state to avoid the deadly storm.The then-23-year-old told officials he left his dog, Jumbo, because he “couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up,” Lopez revealed at the time.Garcia would’ve faced up to five years in prison if he had been found guilty of animal abuse.Trooper was rescued by Highway Patrol Trooper Orlando Morales and brought to the Leon County Humane Society, where he was evaluated and set up for adoption.Lisa Glunt, the director of the Tallahassee-based animal rescue organization, was left in dismay over the decision by Lopez’s office.“I was disappointed and shocked,” Glunt told WCTV.

“We really thought this was going to be taken seriously and seen through thoroughly, considering the State of Florida now has a law in place, Trooper’s Law, that was brought on by this dog and this incident.It’s definitely upsetting.”Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis signed Florida...