LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in Lehigh Acres about an animal incident.
A witness told Deputies she saw Jose Luis Ortiz, 46, covered in blood and cleaning the remains of a duck off his back patio. She approached Ortiz, who became violent and started strangling one of his dogs.
Ortiz then grabbed a garden hose and began to drown the animal.
The witness immediately grabbed Ortiz’s other dog and ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911.
When Deputies arrived, they observed that Ortiz’s back patio was soaking wet.
During their search, deputies located a deceased dog, duck, and cat inside a trashcan.
Detectives learned that Ortiz drowned two animals and bludgeoned the third during their investigation.
Ortiz was placed under arrest and charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
