SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. -- Investigators say a Lehigh Acres woman neglected a dog she adopted earlier this year before taking the pet to another shelter, claiming she found it as a stray.
20-year-old Alexandria Drew of Lehigh Acres is facing charges of Cruelty to Animals and Confinement Without Sufficient Food.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, on September 13th, Drew brought a dog, later identified as "Richter", into their Animal Services offices, claiming the dog was a stray.
Investigators checked the dog's microchip, which revealed that Richter had been adopted by Drew from the Humane Society of Sarasota County in March.
At the time of adoption, Richter weighted a healthy 25 pounds, but now, just 6 months later, the dog was down to 20 pounds and considered malnourished by veterinarians.
Drew told investigators that she was too busy working to take care of the dog and couldn’t afford the $30 surrender fee at the humane society.
Drew was arrested and released on the same day on $1,000 bond.
Richter remains at the Humane Society of Sarasota County where he is expected to make a full recovery.
