Florida
State Laws
1003.53 Dropout prevention and academic intervention.—…
1003.42 Required instruction.—
(2)(l) Kindness to animals. (Source)
Reported Animal Abuse Cases
7News Miami reported that police were investigating a young boy suspected of animal abuse related to the gruesome killing of a duck, whose death was reportedly captured on home surveillance video. The footage, which news outlets reportedly declined to show in full due to its graphic content, appears to show the child chasing a duck along the side of a house, capturing the animal, pinning them to the ground, and repeatedly stomping on their body, killing them, before apparently fleeing the scene.
tcpalm.com reported that authorities had arrested a 16-year-old suspected of stabbing a pit bull to death and that the gruesome aftermath was apparently recorded on video and shared on social media. The disturbing footage allegedly depicts the dog tied to a tree, bleeding, and suffering from gaping stab wounds.
Fox35 Orlando reported that a 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals for allegedly killing their family’s cat, Mouse, reportedly by running the dryer with the animal inside for approximately 40 minutes.
WVPT West Palm Beach reported that a 16-year-old boy faces charges, including cruelty to animals and first-degree arson, for allegedly dousing a relative’s 7-year-old pit bull named Creed in gasoline and lighting the animal on fire. Creed’s guardian was reportedly injured trying to free the dog from the flames, but was unable to successfully remove him from the kennel he was in; Creed reportedly died due to the severity of his injuries. The teen’s relative and Creed’s lifelong companion reported that after the incident, the teen “just walked past me, no emotions. His face was like — it was just like — nothing there, just walked past me while I’m screaming, crying.”
Yahoo News reported that a 14-year-old was facing felony charges, including baiting animals, animal cruelty involving torment, and animal cruelty resulting in death, after allegedly hurling an object at a black cat named Ringo in order to cause him to jump down from his perch on a car. A pair of dogs reportedly spotted the feline and immediately began chasing him, having allegedly been encouraged to do so by the teen. This violent incident was apparently captured on surveillance video, and Ringo’s lifeless body—reportedly bearing horrific bite marks—was discovered a few hours later.
WFLA News reported that 18-year-old Gregory Facin faces multiple charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals with a weapon, after allegedly killing a 2-year-old pit bull by shooting him in the face. Apparently, Facin shot the dog once and left the canine to suffer a prolonged period of pacing throughout the home before ultimately dying from his injuries.
Newsweek reported that authorities were investigating a group of between five and seven teenagers seen in what reporters deem graphic Ring Doorbell video footage torturing and setting a 2-year-old cat named Little Friend on fire, burning her alive.
WTSP.com reported that a teenager had been charged with taking an alligator without a permit after a social media video circulated showing a group of teens allegedly force-feeding a baby alligator alcohol and tossing the animal around. Reportedly, the alligator was repeatedly gripped by the neck and thrown onto the hot pavement of a parking lot.
WFTV.com reported on the arrest of a 14-year-old who allegedly shot his family’s dog, Autumn, with a BB gun multiple times while she was “just sitting on the porch and not showing any aggression.” The teen reportedly posted a video of the assault on Snapchat.
CBS12 reported that a 17-year-old boy was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals concerning a video that apparently shows the teen lifting a dog by the neck and carrying the animal several feet before slamming them to the ground. Reportedly, the violent onslaught continued as the teen allegedly straddled the dog and proceeded to repeatedly punch the animal in the head and then slam the dog’s skull on the pavement multiple times. Apparently, the dog can be heard yelping in pain throughout the footage and was taken to a local animal hospital to receive care.
Ocala-News.com reported that a 15-year-old was allegedly arrested and charged for attending the fighting or baiting of animals after a cockfighting operation was reportedly discovered in a home. According to news outlets, 28 roosters were found dead throughout the property and three were found alive but had to be euthanized.
FirstCoastNews.com reported that five high school students had gutted a bull shark and hung the animal up in the rafters of their school, presumably as part of a senior prank.
The Daily Commercial reported that a 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals after the teen’s parents apparently contacted authorities, alleging that the teen confessed to stabbing their family dog to death with a sword. Reportedly, when investigators arrived, they discovered the deceased dog’s mutilated body tied to a tree in the woods nearby, apparently bearing signs that the dog suffered multiple stabs and hacking wounds.
The Miami Herald reported that a 13-year-old was arrested and facing multiple charges, including felony cruelty to animals, for allegedly torturing and killing a neighbor’s cat. Apparently, the teen confessed to authorities that after trapping the feline in a trash can for several days, he struck and then attempted to stab the cat before stuffing them in a garbage bag. Reportedly, after the cat escaped from the bag, the boy grabbed them by the tail and smashed their body onto the pavement, apparently causing blood to flow from the cat’s mouth. The teen apparently detailed to police that after determining that the cat was dead, he threw the animal’s lifeless body into a neighboring yard, where he reportedly believed dogs would further mutilate the body.
IBTimes.com reported that a 16-year-old boy had been arrested and charged with cruelty to animals after his friend uploaded videos in which the boy aggressively beat a dog with a leather belt.
Local10.com reported that a group of kids were recorded on video running over an iguana with a shopping cart and throwing objects at the animal as he or she tried to escape.
NorthEscambia.com reported that a Ransom Middle School student had allegedly abused a rabbit by tossing the animal into the air and allowing him or her to fall to the ground repeatedly. The alleged incident was recorded with a camera and shared on social media.
News 6 + reported that a 15-year-old boy was arrested and facing a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals after turning himself in to authorities following a Snapchat video that apparently showed him lifting a large rock over his head and hurling it directly at a 3- to 4-month-old kitten who can be seen huddled at the base of a tree. Apparently, the kitten suffered severe facial trauma and has experienced difficulty walking as a result of the violent attack.
ClickOrlando.com reported that a teacher in Forest High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program reportedly drowned an opossum and two raccoons, while students in an agriculture class assisted, because he believed that the animals were “nuisances” to the agricultural program.
AJC.com reported that a teenager had been sentenced to a month in jail, a year of house arrest, and another two years of probation for fatally beating his 4-month-old pit bull. A veterinary examination discovered bruising on the puppy’s head, broken teeth, and a lacerated liver, which is believed to have led to the dog’s death.
ABC News 4 reported that 18-year-old Kevin Braganca faces a charge of cruelty to animals for allegedly beating a small pit bull puppy to death. Reportedly, lawn maintenance workers reported the abuse to authorities, adding that the puppy was yelping, crying, and appeared to be injured. Apparently, Braganca brought the deceased puppy to a local animal hospital, at which point an attending veterinarian performed a necropsy and determined the cause of the puppy’s death to be blunt force trauma.
NBC-2.com reported that a teenager had been accused of filming himself kicking a cat and then later bragging about it on social media.
NBC Miami reported that 18-year-old Joseph Tyler Pendergrass was arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals after being caught on surveillance video slamming a small dog to the ground at an animal boarding facility where he was employed. Reportedly, staff at the facility discovered a Shih Tzu in their care to be suffering from a broken leg, at which point they apparently reviewed the security footage, which allegedly showed Pendergrass picking the dog up by their leash and smashing the canine to the ground.
OrlandoSentinel.com reported that a University of Central Florida student had been arrested and charged after allegedly tormenting, mutilating, and killing his puppy, Julian. The suspect allegedly admitted to hitting the dog multiple times because he had urinated in the house. The dog, who appeared to have been beaten to death, reportedly sustained head injuries, traumatic lesions, and fractured bones.
ActionNewsJax.com reported that three teenage girls had been charged with cruelty to animals after a Snapchat video surfaced that appeared to depict a rabbit being repeatedly thrown against a wall. The teens responsible were reportedly between the ages of 13 and 14. The animal allegedly sustained a fractured leg and other injuries.
The Palm Beach Post reported that 18-year-old Cody Rutledge was found guilty of cruelty to animals, a third-degree felony, for fatally stabbing a 10-month-old Chihuahua-dachshund puppy with a tree branch. Reportedly, the puppy was impaled with an oak branch, suffered three broken ribs and a collapsed lung, and apparently died despite medical intervention. Rutledge, who was 17 at the time of the violent attack, reportedly admitted to authorities that he had stabbed the puppy “because it would not stop barking.”
FOX13News.com reported that a dead deer had been found hanging from a flagpole on a local high school campus, and some students suspected that it was a “prank” committed by students at a rival high school. The case was being investigated by authorities.
WFTV.com reported that a teenager had been arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals after admitting that he poisoned his neighbor’s 10-year-old dog because she barked at his birds. The teen put antifreeze into a boiled egg and fed it to her through the fence. She was reportedly in critical condition after ingesting the poison and died that day.
The Reading Eagle reported that a 14-year-old boy faces multiple charges of battery and animal abuse for allegedly admitting to breaking into a house, stealing two parakeets from a cage, killing them, and throwing them into a lake. Reportedly, authorities were contacted after the teen apparently punched his mother and kicked her in the chin during an argument about animal abuse. Apparently, upon responding to the call, Sheriff’s deputies discovered multiple wounded animals, in addition to a deceased chicken and dog, at the teen’s home.
USAToday.com reported that two teenagers had been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after allegedly abusing a dog named Cabela, who was tied to railroad tracks and shot multiple times. One of her legs was shattered by a bullet, but she survived surgery and was recovering from the attack.
NBCMiami.com reported that a group of teenagers had been accused of killing a pelican. The attack was reportedly caught on video by a security camera, and the teens allegedly killed the bird by restraining him and repeatedly blowing fumes from an e-cigarette into his beak and eyes, then holding his beak closed so that he couldn’t breathe.
News4Jax.com reported that an 11-year-old Middleburg Elementary School student had been charged with cruelty to animals after admitting to killing his mother’s dog. The dog had reportedly been found in a shallow grave on the family’s property and was missing his head and paws.
News4Jax reported that a 14-year-old was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals for his alleged role in a series of cat killings in the Springfield area, including one instance where he apparently tortured and killed a family’s cat named Camus by coating the feline in lighter fluid, setting them on fire, and burning them alive. Reportedly, the teen was also a suspect in a local burglary, and when officers located him, he had two severely injured cats in his possession and apparently told officers when questioned, “Killing a cat is like killing a sheet of paper. It is nothing to kill a cat.”
NYDailyNews.com reported that two teenage girls—ages 18 and 15—had been arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals after allegedly torturing and killing a gopher tortoise and then posting a video of the act on Facebook. The video reportedly shows them laughing while dousing the tortoise with a flammable liquid, kicking him, lighting him on fire, and stomping him to death.
NorthEscambia.com reported that two teenagers and two 20-year-olds had been charged with felony cruelty to animals, among other offenses, after allegedly killing a family’s caged cockatoo with a knife while burglarizing their home.
NBCMiami.com reported that a 17-year-old had been charged with cruelty to animals after a video surfaced on social media sites that appeared to depict him shooting and killing a caged raccoon and opossum. The case was reportedly still under investigation.