FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Lee County man is facing animal cruelty charges after deputies said he abandoned two bulldogs in cages covered by tarps, leaving them to die without food or water in the summer heat.
The investigation began when a neighbor called 911 to report seeing two dogs in distressing conditions in the Pine Manor neighborhood.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno said detectives discovered one-year-old Chloe and six-year-old Princess on July 11. The owner, 33-year-old Jerry Speed III, had moved out two weeks prior and left the dogs behind in cages filled with feces and urine.
"This right here is disgusting. This behavior is disgusting," Marceno said.
Click here to see Fox 4 Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo explain what happened:
The cages were covered with tarps, trapping the animals in extreme heat with no food or water. Chloe died from heat stroke and stress, while Princess had to be euthanized due to her condition, the sheriff's office said.
Speed III is no stranger to law enforcement, according to Marceno.
"We have Jerry Speed III, he was a suspect from the minute we got there. He's no stranger to our jail. This right here is, is pages of arrests, pages of criminal history, convicted felon, everything from fleeing and eluding, drugs, guns by convicted felon," Marceno said.
The case has shocked neighbors in the community. Julie Rodriguez, who lives nearby with her dog Dollar, called the incident heartless.
"Bueno la verdad es que me sorprende porque tengo mi propia mascota y no creo que nadie en este país sea capaz de hacer eso, dañar a un animal que ni siquiera puede hablar.," Julie Rodriguez said.
That translates to: "Well, the truth is, it surprises me because I have my own pet, and I don't think anyone in this country is capable of doing that, harming an animal that can't even talk."
Neighbor Wilfred Armando said the tragedy serves as a reminder about pet ownership responsibilities.
"Un perro es una responsabilidad, no sólo tenerlo porque sí, sino que es una vida, a la que hay que cuidar, igual que a una persona," Wilfred Armando said.
That translates to: "A dog is a responsibility, not just to have it for the sake of it, but that's a life, a person, who must be taken care of, just like a person."
Speed is charged with animal cruelty and abandonment of animals.
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